Logging & Sawmilling Journal - March/April 2016

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March/April 2016

SASKATCHEWAN SAWMILLING: C & C Resources invests $25 million in major upgrade at Edgewood Forest Products

NADINA LOGGING takes on harvesting small wood in the B.C. Interior LOBSTER TRAP LUMBER at Nova Scotia’s AFT Sawmill WITH THIS ISSUE… The Edge!

B.C. SAW FILER’S ASSOCIATION: Conference Preview

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FEATURES March/April 2016 Volume 47 • No. 2 Editor Paul MacDonald Contributing Editors Jim Stirling Tony Kryzanowski George Fullerton Tech Update Editor Tony Kryzanowski

Publisher Rob Stanhope E-mail: stanhope@forestnet.com Phone: (604) 990-9970 Fax: (604) 990-9971 Sales Associates James Booth (604) 990-9970 E-mail: jbooth@forestnet.com Perry Rosehill (604) 613-3001 E-mail: rosehill@forestnet.com

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On the Cover:

A significant investment by C & C Resources in its Edgewood Forest Products sawmill in Saskatchewan includes a new breakdown line provided by German-based LINCK, and other equipment changes that will allow the sawmill to process a wider range of sawlogs into solid wood products.

4 Spotlight –

An exit, by choice, from the logging business

Long time logging contractor Derek Stamer recently exited the business—but he still believes there is opportunity in the industry, and he had a few words of advice for young loggers, following the final auction of his equipment.

8 Major Saskatchewan

sawmill upgrade

C & C Resources has invested $25 million in its Edgewood Forest Products sawmill in Saskatchewan, which it expects will pay off in a 20 per cent increase in solid wood recovery.

42 B.C. Saw Filer’s

Conference Preview

The upcoming B.C. Saw Filer’s Association conference—being held in Kamloops April 29-30—is expected to be another success, with solid attendance, and good participation from the equipment companies that supply the filing rooms which form the backbone of sawmills across B.C.

16 Long-time loggers

54 Lobster trap lumber

24 Finding its niche

60 Family forestry

30 Dust control in

71 The Edge

Nadina Logging—which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year—has a rich family heritage that still forms the foundation for this modern logging company that these days is very capably dealing with harvesting small wood in the B.C. Interior.

B.C.’s Wadlegger Logging and Construction has truly found its niche on the mill side—producing large dimension Douglas fir product—and on the construction side, the company is moving into building more road, with the addition of a rock drill.

B.C. sawmills

A culture of increased safety has emerged in the B.C. forest industry around sawmill dust control, four years after two horrific sawmill accidents that claimed four lives.

36 Canada’s Top Lumber

Producers

Canada’s total lumber shipments increased by more than nine per cent in 2015, but some Canadian forest companies are continuing their pivot to the U.S. South, with both Canfor—which continues to be Canada’s top lumber producer—and Interfor adding to their sawmill counts in the U.S. South during the year.

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - March/April 2016

Nova Scotia’s AFT Sawmill was born out of necessity to provide lumber for the A. F. Theriault & Son Ltd. boatyard, but it now produces a broad range of products—with a significant “value add” lumber product being lobster trap components.

Alberta’s Robill Contracting fully understands the value of prioritizing efficiency over volume—and when it comes to their logging operation, the focus is truly on the family.

Included in this edition of The Edge, Canada’s leading publication on research in the forest industry, are stories from the Canadian Wood Fibre Centre, Alberta Innovates - Bio Solutions and

86 The Last Word

Canada’s veterans could take on many of the forestry jobs the industry is currently looking to fill, says Tony Kryzanowski.

DEPARTMENTS

Calendar.............................................. 7 Suppliernewsline............................... 76 Subscriptions..................................... 82 Classifieds / Ad Index........................ 85 3

spotlight

An exit—by choice—

from the logging business Long time logging contractor Derek Stamer recently exited the business—but he still believes there is opportunity in the industry, and he had a few words of advice for young loggers, following the final auction of his equipment.

By Jim Stirling

S

ome days you don’t soon forget.

Thursday, November 19, 2015 in Prince George, British Columbia, was just such a bittersweet date and place for the Stamer Family. That day, about 70 pieces of Stamer Logging’s harvesting machinery, trucks and ancillary equipment went under the auctioneer’s hammer.

If it had wheels or tracks on it, it went.

“Within that one day it was all gone,” recalls Derek Stamer, company principal.

The equipment was snapped up by other loggers eager to get their hands on logging equipment that had been meticulously maintained and much of it late model.

As the successful bidders went home to start anew, Stamer formally ended a 50-

year career as a log harvesting contractor in B.C. The complete dispersal was exactly the way Derek Stamer wanted it.

“Over the years we’ve had excess equipment to sell and it can be a tremendous hassle,” says Stamer. “I wanted something clean and over with.” Ritchie Bros Auctioneers obliged. “The auction was very well run and organized,” he says.

Some loggers get up one morning and decide ‘I’m finished with this’. They walk away and it can work for them. Stamer took a much more planned approach.

Indeed, the Ritchie Bros auction was in some ways just the final full stop on the process.

“I looked at retirement about three or four years ago,” he says. But the log harvesting sector wasn’t exactly booming

When your involvement stretches to 50 years in an industry as dynamic as forestry has been, the changes Derek Stamer has experienced have been encyclopedic.

Equipment has become highly mechanized and increasingly sophisticated from the time he started in the business, in the 1960s.

4

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - March/April 2016

Derek Stamer then. And in 50 years, you learn some things about the forest industry, and its peaks and valleys. “I wanted to make the decision nearer to the top of the cycle.”

Stamer Logging had accumulated accurate and detailed operating costs associated with most pieces of its equipment fleet. The machine profiles provided useful information in many ways including when best to make a retirement decision.

The 50 year factor entered the equation.

Half-a-century working in any profession is a milestone achievement.

Stamer Logging had two evergreen harvesting contracts sold more than a year ago. Stamer retains part of another licence. But the hardest part of the entire process was telling his employees they were laid off. “We had some 30-year-plus employees in trucking and harvesting. It really hurt,” says Stamer.

Some of those long term friends took the cue from Stamer to retire. Those that decided to carry on logging had no trouble finding new jobs with other regional logging contractors, he reports.

Stamer grew up in and around Lavington, in B.C.’s southern interior. His initial

to page 6

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spotlight from page 4 foray into the forest industry was in 1965, sub-contracting with a Cat in Lumby, B.C. Around the same time, Weyerhaeuser came into town and bought up the mill Stamer was working for, but the company offered him a contract to log for them. He moved to Barriere, north of Kamloops, in 1971 and that was pretty much home base for the rest of his log harvesting career.

When that stretches for 50 years in an

6

industry as dynamic as forestry has been in that time frame, the changes he’s experienced have been encyclopedic.

The highly mechanized equipment to harvest trees has become increasingly sophisticated. And expensive.

The rules and regulations binding logging activity and a land base with increasing no-go zones have become more complicated, time consuming and inconstant. Licencee requirements for the wood volumes they receive have become

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - March/April 2016

more stringent in terms of length and quality to meet a smorgasbord of marketing requirements.

Beetles have decimated the B.C. Interior’s pine forests, forcing forest companies and contractors into more expensive higher and tougher terrains in search of fibre. Large Canadian forest companies are increasingly investing in U.S. sawmills as timber costs rise.

Even the traditional weather patterns and seasons have changed.

The forest industry itself has restructured in other ways. The overall trend is toward fewer and larger licencees.

By illustration, the mill Stamer Logging delivered logs to in 1971 was acquired by Balco Forest Products in 1978. Ten years later, Tolko Industries was at the mill’s helm.

“We’ve always had a good relationship with our licencees,” reports Stamer. The one with Tolko, for example, lasted right up to Stamer’s retirement.

“We had a tremendous relationship with them. Their management team in the Thompson region was very innovative.

They listened and demonstrated respect,” he expands. “Rates are one thing, working conditions are another. Their people were responsive to discussion.”

Stamer Logging similarly built lasting relationships with log harvesting equipment manufacturers, and their local dealership networks.

The principal equipment in the Ritchie Bros., auction was Tigercat feller bunchers from The Inland Group (formerly Parker Pacific), and John Deere equipment through Brandt Tractor supplying the other main functions, including road building machines. Western Star logging trucks from R James Western Star did the company’s hauling. Stamer Logging helped out with field testing several pieces of logging equipment through the years, with operators and mechanics contributing their input into new machine designs.

“When I started out in the log contracting business, I had no working capital to speak of,” he explains. “It took lots of hard work and a little bit of luck to get by.” The latter parts of the formula still hold true today, he believes.

But if Stamer were handing out advice to a young person contemplating a career as a logging contractor, adequate sources of working capital and cash flow are the oxygen to success. “I would explain the big thing is to understand the vagaries of the business, capital wise.” And then you need the hard work and the luck. “But I think there are opportunities for logging contractors.”

spotlight Stamer Logging discovered it needed to access wood outside traditional operating ground. That means going up: blocks with some conventional logging ground and areas for high lead or other specialist logging systems. A small, steep slope specialist contractor might flourish, for instance.”Don’t look at a production of 50 loads a day. More like eight or 10,” he says. Block sizes are scattered and shrinking and he believes there’s room for small, efficient operators.

The skilled labour shortage is a reality for all industries, not just the natural resource sector in B.C. “I was very fortunate and didn’t have to face that issue,” says Stamer. “Our young people usually had a connection to the industry. It came through a family member working in forestry or on the land in farms. Kids who knew where eggs come from.”

Now, however, there’s a major disconnect. “On the plus side for future forest industry recruitment: trees will be here forever.”

CALENDAR

Stamer worked hard, too, on behalf of fellow loggers through years of involvement with the Interior Logging Association (ILA). Stamer occupied several executive positions with the organization including as its president.

“I’ve always believed logging associations should help the logger, but not in negotiating rates,” he says. Lobbying government is an association’s most fertile operating ground. The cost of doing business is constantly increasing. “Lobbying for things like changes in stumpage appraisal methods could be beneficial, maybe in concert with the licencees as a united voice.”

Changes have always been the logging contractor’s constant. Since the Ritchie Bros auction everything has changed for Stamer and his family. Now there’s a new and different page upon which to inscribe the future. And Stamer’s clearly making a successful transition. Some mornings he can already sleep in until 5:30.

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sawmillupgrade

Prairie mill investment pays off C & C Resources has invested $25 million in its Edgewood Forest Products sawmill in Saskatchewan, which it expects will pay off in a 20 per cent increase in solid wood recovery.

By Tony Kryzanowski

‘R

Byron Warner, general manager of Edgewood Forest Products.

8

ight sizing’ is how best to describe the recent $25 million investment that Quesnel, B.C.-based C & C Resources has made to revamp and modernize its Edgewood Forest Products sawmill in Carrot River, Saskatchewan. The company expects a 20 per cent increase in solid wood recovery as a result of the investment.

The new breakdown line at the sawmill provided by German-based LINCK, a new Wellons dry kiln and recent investments in the planer mill will allow the sawmill to process a wider range of sawlogs into solid wood products, and potentially capture more #2 and better lumber.

“We are already seeing the results in the planer mill,” says Ron Dunn, chief operating officer of C & C Resources. “We

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - March/April 2016

are getting a lot less trim loss, a lot higher grades as a percentage of the out-turn, and a lot more throughput because of the consistency of the sizing. Those three things are adding up to record production in the planer mill.”

Production at the sawmill in Carrot River—located about 300 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon—is expected to increase to about 140 million board feet per year in dimensions from 1” X 3” to 2” X 6”, with their highest volume product being 2” X 4”.

Dunn added that the main motivation for C & C Resources wanting to make this investment was to ensure that the sawmill was sustainable regardless of the lumber market. The Province of Saskatchewan also made the decision easier with its business-friendly environment and by offering some assistance with employee training.

sawmillupgrade “Essentially, we felt, and history dictated, that the previous complement of equipment was unsustainable in terms of down markets,” says Dunn.

With the sawmill upgrade, he adds that “Edgewood will have some of the lowest log processing costs in the industry”.

The sawmill is one of the largest employers in Carrot River and surrounding area, providing 100 jobs, with two shifts operating in both the sawmill and planer mill. Byron Warner, Edgewood’s general manager, says that it also provides a number of important spinoff jobs, as well as economic diversity in an area where farming is also big business. Warner is a long time Carrot River sawmill employee, having started at the facility in 1986 as an equipment operator. Prior to becoming general manager in 2013, he was the planer mill supervisor.

With the sawmill upgrade, Edgewood will now have some of the lowest log processing costs in the industry.

Prior to making a purchasing decision, Edgewood Forest Products conducted considerable research to find a sawmill equipment supplier—and they liked what they saw of the LINCK equipment. The new LINCK sawmill line at Edgewood processed its first log the third week of January and so far has met the mill’s expectations.

The average log diameter of the largely spruce and jack pine log basket supplying the mill is between 8.5” and 9”, with a significant percentage of higher diameter logs. Projections indicate that the current average log diameter will continue for the foreseeable future.

The sawmill consumes about 350,000 cubic metres per year. About 80 per cent is spruce. Logs arrive at the sawmill in cutto-length dimensions in 8’ and 9’ lengths, to page 10

When C & C Resources purchased the sawmill in 2012 from Weyerhaeuser, it had been mothballed for five years. A plywood plant in nearby Hudson Bay was part of the deal.

Typically, when Weyerhaeuser managed the Carrot River operation, its larger sawlogs were sent to the plywood plant.

However, when the plywood plant stayed idle after the C & C Resources purchase of the operations, that left few options except to make a lot of chips over the short term at the sawmill, since it was designed to accept a maximum 10” diameter log and they were processing 14” logs through it. Or, they would stockpile the larger diameter logs and sell them to other sawmills in the area. That is no longer the case with the installation of the new LINCK breakdown line.

“We know that there is a lot more money in lumber than in chips,” says Warner. “We thought that if we ran the same lumber profile with bigger logs, we would capture more centre boards from the cants and it would provide us with better quality lumber in the end.”

What attracted C & C Resources to the Edgewood sawmill was the quality of the wood basket; the timber features very tight grain and small knots, capable of producing high density and high strength lumber.

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - March/April 2016

9

sawmillupgrade from page 9 with the average log haul to the sawmill being 120 kilometres.

Due to the technological constraints in the old sawmill, Warner says that Edgewood has been undercutting its allocated forest resource since it purchased the mill.

But that will no longer be the case with the expanded wood diameter that the sawmill can now accept.

In addition to a sawmill that wasn’t a particularly good fit for the wood basket, Warner says the sawmill also had older technology—installed in about 1994— with no optimization technology. A major improvement at both the Edgewood sawmill and planer mill is the installation of scanners which allow both facilities to optimize their operations.

In addition to the $25 million spent at the sawmill, Edgewood recently invested $2 million in their planer mill. Computerbased lumber grading technology was installed in that facility as part of a general upgrade in 2014.

“We have a 3-D scanner on the sawmill infeed and we can now position logs, which is something we never did with

The Edgewood Forest Products sawmill is one of the largest employers in Carrot River and surrounding area, providing 100 jobs, with two shifts operating in both the sawmill and planer mill.

“As we get to know this equipment better, we could possibly pursue those avenues,” says Warner. He says a good indicator of the potential to achieve more value uplift from their product is that they currently have customers who purchase

the old mill,” says Warner. “So there is rotation and optimization of what we are doing. The feed speeds are also faster, depending on the diameter of the log.”

While the sawmill is not yet pulling higher grades like select lumber, that is something that Edgewood is considering once employees become more familiar with the new line’s capabilities, as well as possibly pursuing J-grade lumber markets.

to page 12

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sawmillupgrade

from page 10 their 2” X 3” lumber, sort through it, and successfully remanufacture it to a higher grade.

Construction started on the sawmill upgrade last March, and began with a building addition to the sawmill to ac-

12

commodate the new LINCK saw line. The concept of the new sawmill was to design it so that it was as straight and as efficient a process as possible, which required a building extension. Production continued on the old sawmill line till the end of October, when installation of the new saw line went into high gear. The new LINCK

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - March/April 2016

sawmill line processed its first log the third week of January.

Prior to making a purchasing decision, Edgewood conducted considerable research to find a sawmill equipment supplier.

“It took some time to decide, but we really liked what we saw from the LINCK

sawmillupgrade equipment in operation,” says Warner. “I think it was a good decision because it is really robust, heavy equipment. We will be partners for many years.”

The ‘straight through’ process is a real benefit, Warner adds, and because it is a log profiling line, there is no need for a secondary gang edger at the end of the main breakdown unit. Instead, the final step on the breakdown line consists of a sawbox that makes a final horizontal cut on the remaining cants.

“Everything just proceeds down the line, comes out the other end, and then it’s off to the sorter,” Warner says.

The sawmill is currently in its start-up phase. So far, Warner says that the LINCK line has met expectations, keeping in mind that to fully benefit from this technology, the learning curve in the early stages is steep. But there has been steady progress.

The saw line project started with the installation of a Nicholson 22” debarker to replace the sawmill’s 17” debarker.

The logs then proceed through a metal detector and past a Microtec two-dimensional scanner to weed out those logs not shaped for quality lumber production. A

One of the things that attracted C & C Resources to the Edgewood sawmill was the quality of the wood basket; the timber features very tight grain and small knots, capable of producing high density and high strength lumber. turntable directs the remaining logs toward a Microtec 3-D scanner to optimize recovery. From here, the LINCK line takes over. It starts with a two-sided chip and canter. Then the partial cant is turned and encounters a second two-sided chip and canter, with a profiler and a set of saws as the next step to recover sideboards,

depending on the size of the cant. The cant is turned again, proceeds through a second profiler and more sideboards are sawn off. The remaining cant, which can be as tall as 12”, proceeds through a to page 14

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sawmillupgrade

Production at the sawmill in Carrot River is expected to increase to about 140 million board feet per year in dimensions from 1” X 3” to 2” X 6”, with their highest volume product being 2” X 4”. While the sawmill is not yet pulling higher grades like select lumber, it’s something that Edgewood is considering once employees become more familiar with the new line’s capabilities, as well as possibly pursuing J-grade lumber markets.

from page 13 horizontal saw that cuts it either in half or in thirds, producing a final burst of lumber out the far end, based on the optimal calculated lumber recovery pattern.

The green lumber is conveyed to a newly installed but second-hand Gemofor lug loader and then into an existing J-bar sorter.

Mill-Tech provided a modified lumber stacking system for the sawmill, with a tier generator installed in front of the stacker.

The stacked lumber then proceeds to the dry kilns. The sawmill has two dry kilns.

The overall saw line design was handled by Edgewood staff working with LINCK. The building expansion was designed and installed by BEP Engineering from Surrey, B.C., Tisdale, Saskatchewan-based, Greentree Engineering, and RobWel Constructors Limited Partnership, with an office in Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan. The electrical contractor on the project was B.C.-based, Summit Electric. Summit Electric specializes in the installation of advanced industrial equipment. They have offices in Kamloops and Quesnel. Items such as log transfers and decks were provided by 14

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - March/April 2016

Mazurek Industries, located in Carrot River. Iron Code Engineering Company, from Salmon Arm, B.C., provided computer coding assistance as part of the new line install.

On the $2 million planer mill project, B.C.-based Wolftek Industries provided a VAB grade optimizer. The main objective of adopting computer-based grading was to increase planer mill production, and Warner says the transition has been worthwhile.

“Overall, I think this investment makes a pretty broad statement that C & C Resources is here to stay—they were looking to employ people and were looking to work in Saskatchewan,” says Warner. “So I think that Edgewood Forest Products has a bright future.”

C & C Resources chief operating officer Ron Dunn says the company continues to look at options for the Hudson Bay plywood plant, including both operating it themselves or selling the operation, with a potential opportunity for a combination hardwood and softwood log supply.

Negotiations are ongoing with a couple of potential buyers.

contractorprofile

Frank Etchart (far right), a nephew of three of the founders of Nadina Logging, with Dominic Mihura, another of the company founders (left), and long time Nadina Logging truck driver Frank Lowe (centre).

Long-time loggers Nadina Logging—which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year—has a rich family heritage that still forms the foundation for this modern logging company that these days is very capably dealing with harvesting small wood in the B.C. Interior.

By Paul MacDonald

T

he Basque Country, which borders Spain and France, is a long ways from the British Columbia Interior, but that’s where the roots for the founders of Nadina Logging, of Merritt, B.C. lie.

Nadina Logging was founded by brothers Angel, Manuel and Gus Maritorena, and their friend, Dominic Mihura, all of whom came from the village of Maya, near the French-Spanish border. The men left war-impoverished Spain to work in France, and eventually decided to move to Canada.

They arrived in B.C. in 1952, and, after doing work on ranches and sawmills, set up a portable sawmilling operation of their own in Burns Lake, B.C.: the Basque

16

Lumber Company. The name was eventually changed to Nadina Logging.

Lumber prices dropped and times were difficult; the men heard that work might be had in Merritt, B.C. and they moved south, joined later by yet another brother, John Maritorena.

Nadina Logging purchased another portable mill in 1963 and did work around the Ashcroft area. They were joined by three Maritorena nephews, Peter, Joe and Mike Etchart.

Lumber prices continued to be up and down, and Dominic and Angelo found work in Merritt, contract falling and skidding with a Cat. What further reinforced a complete move into logging from sawmilling for Nadina was that logs were no longer being processed into lumber in Logging & Sawmilling Journal - March/April 2016

the bush in the B.C. Interior—they were hauled to town and processed at permanent mills.

In 1969, another family member arrived on the scene in Canada. Frank Etchart, Mike’s younger brother. Frank was then a student, and came to visit the family and learn English, and fell in love with B.C. and Canada. Frank went on to work in the mining and oil industries for a decade, before returning to Merritt to start a family—and join the family company.

Further changes followed for Nadina Logging, with retirements, and today the logging contracting firm—which will soon be celebrating its 60th anniversary—is now owned by Frank Etchart, who is carrying on what has now become a family tradition of logging.

contractorprofile

made a move to Hitachi equipment, from B.C. Hitachi equipment dealer, Wajax Industries. Frank noted that much of the Hitachi logging equipment is manufactured at Deere-Hitachi Specialty Products (DHSP), a forestry specific excavator manufacturing facility located in Langley, British Columbia. As a joint venture company formed between John Deere and Hitachi, DHSP manufactures two different brands of forestry excavators—John Deere and Hitachi. DHSP produces purpose-built equipment such as log loaders, stroke delimbers, and processors.

“The Hitachi equipment, with the new four-cylinder Isuzu engines, is very efficient,” says Frank. “We really noticed the savings, especially when diesel prices were high. If you can save from six to eight, and sometimes up to 10 litres an hour, that makes a difference.” He added that with all of their other costs being pretty much fixed, the only way they can rein costs in is by reducing fuel consumption.

Nadina Logging is now heavily into Hitachi equipment. In their line-up are six

Over the years, the company has worked with a variety of logging equipment. “When I started with Nadina, we had some Link-Belt, Cat, Komatsu machines—a little bit of this equipment, a little bit of that equipment,” recalls Frank.

He noted, though, that Nadina was the first contractor in the region to work with Komatsu equipment in the late 1960s.

“Eventually, we moved mostly to John Deere equipment back then, with the exception of Timberjack feller bunchers.

And then we went to Tigercat bunchers.”

Frank says they have received excellent service from Deere dealer, Brandt Tractor.

“Service-wise, they can’t be beat—they offered good training, on the spot service.

We never had any issues with Brandt Tractor.” In fact, they still have two John Deere skidders, a 748 HIII and a 648 GIII. Today, they have two Tigercat bunchers, both 830 machines. Among their most recent purchases was a Tigercat 630D skidder. All of the Tigercat equipment came from B.C. dealer, The Inland Group (formerly Parker Pacific).

More recently, Nadina Logging has

Hitachi ZX 210F machines, two ZX 240F machines, and an older ZX 200 machine.

They also have a John Deere 2154 for processing and Cat D5 equipped with a grapple, for skidding in steep/wet ground.

“We find that we don’t use the Cat that much these days—we can manage quite well with the skidders and doing hoe chucking.”

The Hitachi equipment, with its fuelsaving Isuzu six cylinder engines, is delivering the goods for Nadina Logging. “We are doing small wood most of the time, so we are working our equipment fast. We might have to tweak the Isuzu engines a bit to get the torque we need, but they are working out well.”

New engines in general can also be a bit of a challenge. Frank said that it seems like with some of the equipment manufacturers, there is a price to be paid with increased fuel consumption with every tier they move up with emissions regulations, such as Tier 3 and Tier 4 engines. to page 18

Nadina Logging has recently made a move to Hitachi equipment, from B.C. Hitachi equipment dealer, Wajax Industries. The Hitachi equipment, with its fuel saving Isuzu six-cylinder engines, is delivering the goods for Nadina Logging, says company owner Frank Etchart.

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - March/April 2016

17

contractorprofile from page 17 Frank acknowledges that there might be other machines out there that are more powerful (and consume more fuel) but it can be hard to measure performance, and measure productivity, machine vs. machine—it’s not always apples vs. apples.

“There can be a lot of variables, so it can be very hard to measure one machine against another machine. You’d have to put the exact same operator doing exactly the same type of work in exactly the same location.

“Where we are operating, though, the wood can be very different 50 or 100 metres apart—the wood profile can be very different, the diameters can be different, it could be greener wood or dryer. So it’s not easy to do direct comparisons.”

Deere equipment equipped with Waratah heads had worked well for Nadina Logging. “We had very little downtime,” says Frank. They found, however, that the Logrite system worked better for them than the TimberRite system, on the Waratah heads.

These days, Nadina Logging is working a fair bit with Southstar heads. What got Frank interested in Southstar is the fact that Dave Cochrane, who founded Waratah, was involved in the company, as was Marcel Payeur. “I hadn’t worked with Marcel before, but he was well known for service—he stands behind his product and really supports the contractors.”

The first Southstar heads produced were the 600 series, which are designed for bigger wood. “We don’t do big wood, so we waited for the QS500 processor head, with four sets of wheels.” The QS 500 features 4X4 extra wide feed rollers for increased surface contact with the log.

“Southstar sent me a head, and I liked it,” says Frank. “And the week following, they sent me another one, and the third week, they sent me a third head.” Last year, they took delivery of another two Southstar QS500 heads, for a total of five heads.

“With Southstar, we’ve had excellent service—there have been just little glitches, like a small problem with the harness.

“They have solid reliability—you know when you come in Monday morning, the head is going to work. The guys like it, and that’s what counts, too.”

Nadina Logging’s operations supervisor Gordon Weisse has been impressed with the in the field performance of the Southstar heads. They went over 900 hours before they had to change the chain on one of their processing heads. “We sharpen 18

Nadina Logging’s equipment line-up includes two Tigercat bunchers, both 830 machines. Among their most recent equipment purchases was a Tigercat 630D skidder. All of the Tigercat equipment came from B.C. dealer, The Inland Group (formerly Parker Pacific). them once a week, and touch them up, and we were able to go over 2000 hours before we had to re-do the tip on the ¾ inch bar—that’s basically one year of operating without having to touch it.”

The Southstar equipment comes with DASA5 control systems equipped with full optimization capability. “Gordon really likes the heads,” says Frank. “We never have to calibrate, we never have to adjust the control systems—they’re amazingly accurate.”

They have a Waratah head, a 622B, mounted on a John Deere 2154. “And I like it. The Waratah on the Deere has been excellent; they are very reliable.”

While the Southstar QS550 is promoted as a multi-stemming head, Frank said it really is not practical for Nadina Logging to do multi-stemming with its size of wood. “We have to do a lot of sorting by length and diameter, and species—we can have 10 or 12 sorts at any one time.

“The pine and spruce is blended together, the fir and balsam is separate, and then we will cut peelers in the bigger stands. We also do sorts for pulp, post and rail. We can have a lot of decks going at any one time.

“The multi-stemming works if you have uniform stems, but our stems can be all over the place in terms of size. So if you Logging & Sawmilling Journal - March/April 2016

multi-stemmed, you’d handle the stems a lot, separating them, aligning them, zeroing them out at the right place.”

Most of their logging is done for Aspen Planers in Merritt, which in addition to their Chip ‘n Saw line, also has a Comact DDM small log line.

Aspen Planer does upwards of 1.2 million cubic metres a year between its own wood, purchased wood and the wood it harvests through agreements with First Nations bands in the region.

Nadina Logging cuts 250,000 cubic metres a year. “We have good partnerships with the First Nations groups,” says Frank. Over the years, it has purchased other contracting operations in the region, such as Ace Logging, and it purchased the quota of Sanders & Co Contracting.

Working in bug-killed wood has been a fact of life for Nadina Logging for a long time. “In the late-1980s, we used to go to Princeton in the summer and do small pockets of beetle wood, maybe six or seven loads here and there,” explains Frank.

“The beetle has been around for a long time—but when the warm winters came, things basically exploded.”

They are still working in a lot of beetle to page 20

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contractorprofile Logging has a shop in Merritt, with one heavy duty mechanic and a helper, and a shop truck out in the bush. In addition to the logging equipment, they have six logging trucks, all Kenworths from Inland Kenworth—“they work well for us,” says Frank—and seven trailers, including a low bed, and they use the services of local truckers, as required.

“That part depends on the distances and cycles,” explains Frank. “If we can do three trips a day, we use fewer trucks, but if we can only do two trips, we rely more on the outside trucks.”

Frank noted that Gordon Weisse handles overall operations out in the bush.

Weisse knows the operation inside and out—he was the operation’s original truck driver when they only had one logging truck. “Gordon knows what is needed and moves equipment around,” says Frank.

These days, most of Nadina Logging’s founders have passed away. But Frank still keeps in touch with Dominic Mihura, who was the youngest of the partners, and still lives in Merritt. Mihura recalls the days when all the bucking was done with chainsaws, and the wood was hauled into the landing with a cable skidder.

from page 18 wood now. “They were originally figuring that maybe five years might be the life of beetle wood, but now they are finding out that some of the beetle wood is fairly sound after 10 years, and even 15 years.”

He noted that the Comact small log line at Aspen Planer seems to do a particularly good job of achieving recovery of marginal beetle wood.

As Frank noted, they are working in small wood. “We don’t do quite as small as .1 cubic metres a stem, but it is not unusual for us to work in wood from .22 down to a .12 piece size. It’s very small wood.”

He added that they can have blocks of .4 and even .5 cubic metres a stem.

“There are some tenure areas that are wetter where we can get some larger wood. But in the B.C. Southern Interior, you’re generally looking at a dry climate, with slow growing wood.”

Frank noted they have been fortunate in that Aspen Planers operated through the downturn and, aside from a few short shutdowns, kept them busy through the down times.

In terms of maintenance, Nadina

“It has changed so much,” says Mihura.

Frank says he has been fortunate in benefiting from all the hard work the original partners, such as Mihura—none of whom spoke English when they emigrated to Canada—put into building Nadina Logging.

“They had the guts to start something, those guys,” he says. “And it’s meant a lot. “When I came to Nadina Logging, the road was already paved, in terms of the business—these guys did all the hard work. I’ve always appreciated the work and effort they put in to get the company where it is.

“I have huge admiration and respect for these guys, who were pioneers. Our strength today is in our employees, and the values and work ethic that have been passed on to us by the company’s founders.”

Franks says they’ll continue to build on the heritage of the company, which will be celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2016.

Frank, and the Nadina Lake employees—many of them long term—will no doubt celebrate the anniversary—and then likely head right back to work. “I still like the work,” says Frank.

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Logging & Sawmilling Journal - March/April 2016

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BCloggingsawmilling

Finding its niche B.C.’s Wadlegger Logging and Construction has truly found its niche on the mill side—producing large dimension Douglas fir product—and on the construction side, the company is moving into building more road, with the addition of a rock drill.

A tradition of logging and sawmilling with the Wadlegger Family: from the left, Hans, parents Joe and Hazel, and Sepp.

By Paul MacDonald

D

epending on the time of year in the Clearwater area of the B.C. Interior, custom cutting could mean a couple of things.

If it’s the fall and hunting season, it could mean a place where you take your game to be custom cut and wrapped.

But right through the year—and for close to 50 years—custom cutting on the sawmill side in the North Thompson River Valley town has meant one thing: Wadlegger Logging and Construction, and its associated sawmill.

As its name states, the company does a lot of logging and a lot of construction.

But they are also stepping things up in road building, in the hands of Hans and

24

Sepp Wadlegger, the two brothers who now run the company.

The company’s history dates back to 1965 when the brothers’ parents, Joe and Hazel Wadlegger, first came to the Clearwater area, and set up a small sawmill to produce railway ties.

Joe Wadlegger recalls days of skidding with horses, and getting paid five dollars for a cord of timber. Joe noted that back in the day, he had the first skidder in the area, a Tree Farmer. He recalls when mechanized harvesting started out with equipment like tree snippers, before advancing, big time, to feller bunchers.

“As soon as the equipment hydraulics advanced, the mechanized logging really took off,” he says.

Joe noted that Hans and Sepp were Logging & Sawmilling Journal - March/April 2016

setting chokers when they were teenagers, learning from the veteran loggers they worked with. “The equipment and how we log has changed completely since then,” he added.

These days, Joe runs a small cattle and sheep farm near the mill and leaves the company in the hands of Hans and Sepp, who have overseen some equipment additions in the past few years.

Recent additions to the Wadlegger equipment line-up include a new Tigercat 870 buncher, adding to the existing 870 machine they’ve had for about two years.

Both are from B.C Tigercat dealer, The Inland Group (formerly Parker Pacific).

Historically, Wadlegger has been a big Cat equipment operation. The operation is still into Cat equipment, from B.C. Cat

BCloggingsawmilling dealer, Finning, with everything from Cat 545C grapple skidders to 325D FM excavators. The Finning branch in Kamloops has delivered top notch service to them over the years—and continues to do exactly that.

But they now have a more diversified approach to their equipment than they had a decade ago, with Tigercat, Volvo and John Deere equipment now in their line-up.

“You have to pick the best equipment for the job,” says Hans Wadlegger.

Some of the heavy equipment manufacturers are stronger than others in certain equipment market segments, he notes. “They all have their strong and weak points,” says Hans.

They like the fact that the Tigercat bunchers are purpose built machines.

“In our opinion, no one makes a better buncher than Tigercat—we really think it is a top notch product,” says Hans.

At the same time they picked up the new buncher, they also purchased two new Link-Belt carriers, for processing. The machines are equipped with Waratah 622B heads. Hans and Sepp looked at other heads in the market, before opting for Waratah. “We’re very comfortable with the Waratah heads, and so are our operators, so it was an easy decision,” says Hans.

In the mill yard, there’s a fairly new Cat 924K wheel loader.

On the mill side itself, they picked up a new-to-them McDonough 54” vertical band resaw about five years ago, from the Tolko operation at Heffley Creek, just down the Yellowhead Highway from Clearwater. “It’s been a good fit,” says Sepp Wadlegger. “It’s helped quite a bit, with re-manning product.

“The Tolko operation at Heffley was making some changes, and the Tolko guys really helped us out with getting the band resaw,” he explained.

Sepp noted that they had an old resaw that they had used for probably 15 years, and that was purchased from the Tolko Lavington sawmill.

“It was an old girl to start with,” he says. “When the opportunity came up with the mill equipment from Heffley, we decided to change it out. But it had been a good unit for us.”

Sepp explained that they employ the re-sawing equipment for breaking down their larger pieces. “We basically use it for re-manning our timbers down to other products—we’ll cut 8 by 10s and then split them down to 4 by 10s, and then run it through the planer.

“It’s not new technology, but the

In recent years, and right through the industry downturn, Wadlegger has pretty much stuck to its specialty—producing large dimension Douglas fir products. In addition to the high quality, visible timbers for homes, they have a fair bit of local business, doing pieces for bridge construction. equipment seems to fit well for us.”

In recent years, and right through the industry downturn, Wadlegger has pretty much stuck to its specialty—producing large dimension Douglas fir products.

“We specialize in longs and wides,” says Sepp. “It’s not a big market, and there is not room for a lot of producers.

And it’s not only the product itself, but the quality of the product, that is important.

We have very high quality timber here in the valley, so we can hit that high quality, select structural product market—it’s not a difficult thing for us to do with the wood we have to work with.”

It’s a completely different market from the large production sawmills in the B.C. Interior—who specialize in huge volumes of SPF dimensional lumber.

In addition to their steady, long term customers, Wadlegger, located right on the Yellowhead Highway, about an hourand-an-half north of Kamloops, gets a fair number of people showing up at the office, looking for one-off pieces.

“We still have walk-ins, people building a timber frame place, and they’ll ask if we can cut them five pieces of this, four pieces of that—we get a lot of that.

“But we have a lot of steady customers that we’ve developed over the years, that we cut truckload orders for,” says Sepp.

They have a fair bit of local business, doing pieces for bridge construction, for example, in addition to the high quality, visible timbers for homes. “We’ve got one customer that we do a truckload a week for, treating stock, that goes into projects like docks, on the coast.”

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - March/April 2016

Sepp noted that a key part of the company’s approach—and success—lies in its flexibility, and being responsive to what customers need. And sometimes they need it right away.

“A great part of what we do is the variety we can produce. I can get a phone call, and we can change or add to an order very quickly. On a recent Friday, I was loading a truck for the coast, and the customer phoned me and said he needed a single 22 foot, 6 by 10 plain piece.

“And so we went out to the sawmill, got it on the planer, and got it on the truck that left that day. It wasn’t a problem for us to do that. Our customers can have very quick needs, and we can meet those needs.”

The regular orders from customers can dovetail well with what Wadlegger is doing in the bush.

“What really gives us a leg up is that I can be in talking to our broker, and he will let us know that in three weeks he is going to need a whole lot of select structural 8 by 8, 16 footers,” explains Hans.

“I can get hold of our processor operator out in the bush, and let him know that we need some 16 foot premium logs with a 12 inch top. And in a few days, we’ll have a logging truck rolling in with the exact logs that we need to produce what that customer is looking for.

“We’re not having to put a lot of logs in inventory, and sit on them,” he added.

to page 26 25

BCloggingsawmilling Recent additions to the Wadlegger equipment line-up include a new Tigercat 870 buncher, adding to the existing 870 machine they’ve had for about two years. Sepp and Hans Wadlegger like the fact that the Tigercat bunchers are purpose built machines.

from page 25 “I can get them straight from the bush.

Our customers are like that, too—they don’t want to be inventorying anything anymore.”

It can be pretty darn close to just-in-time log deliveries. “Having our own logging company and our own timber that we can source from is a big help for us,” says Hans.

As noted, when it comes to meeting customer needs, the word “No” is really not in the Wadlegger vocabulary.

“Meeting customer needs is something that I think we do well,” says Hans. And it works both ways, he adds. Their customers try to keep them busy, even during down times in the industry. “The efforts we put in to help our customers come around to us,” he says.

Wadlegger does not have any tenure— all of their timber comes from BC Timber Sales (BCTS). BCTS is a stand-alone organization within the Ministry of Forests and Range which, a number of years ago, replaced the province’s Small Business Forest Enterprise Program.

BCTS develops and offers Crown timber for auction to establish market price and cost benchmarks, and capture the best possible return for the public. On the basis of the highest bid, BCTS sells timber to a variety of customers, such as Wadlegger—market loggers, sawmill operators, timber processors, re-manufacturers and major licensees.

BCTS itself conducts forest planning, timber cruising, layout and engineering, road construction and maintenance, bridge installations, and silviculture

activities such as tree planting, surveys and stand treatments. It is responsible for managing some 20 percent of the provincial Crown allowable annual cut (AAC).

“Most of the volume we log is BC Timber Sales,” says Hans. “We do it mostly for our needs, but we also do some logging for other people, too.”

They buy and sell timber with the major sawmills in the region, Tolko, Canfor and the Gilbert Smith Forest Products cedar mill in Barriere, just down the Yellowhead Highway.

This buying and selling of timber ideally makes best use of the timber in a region—logs go to the sawmill where they can best be utilized.

Hans says that between the logging they do, and the purchases they make, timber access is fairly good for them.

“Part of that, though, is a function of us being here for many years, and the relationships our Dad, Sepp and I have built up over the years. If we need some oversized logs, for example, we can phone someone, and they can usually help us out.”

To accommodate the company’s needs, its equipment has grown over the years.

Hans notes that 10 years ago, they took delivery of a Cat 325C FM loader and it was #64 for the company. A Cat 329F excavator they recently took delivery of

to page 28 26

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - March/April 2016

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BCloggingsawmilling from page 26 was unit #110. “That includes our trailers, too though,” he added. They also have a Bandit 3680 grinder to handle their residual wood.

A piece of equipment that was recently added to the fleet was a Traxxon TR-EX 2000 rock drill.

“It was kind of the last piece of the equipment picture for us,” says Hans.

“Aside from upgrading or getting more than one or two of what we already have now, there is really nothing else that we need to get right now.”

The rock drill is a major part of their move into building more road, and diversifying. They developed a gravel pit in the last several years, and expect to have a rock quarry soon.

“A key to the roadbuilding side is good equipment, but more so than that, it is having good people—that is really important,” says Sepp. “We’ve got good guys working for us now. There is the opportunity to get larger with our logging operations, but if you don’t have the right guys, it’s not worth tearing down what you already have for that extra work. We want to be sending good guys out there that

will deliver good products, right through.

“When you send out people that are not good, things can come down pretty quick. We’ve had pieces of equipment sitting out there in yard before—and we’d rather have that than the headaches that come from somebody doing a bad job.”

Hans and Sepp work hard to make sure the work is steady.

“We have little in the way of employee turnover, and a big part of that is we keep busy,” says Sepp. “We don’t have those ups and downs or those two months during break up when there might not be work. During that time, we might not be logging, but there is work to be done.

“The other thing is we have a lot of operators who are very flexible, and we are able to put them in different locations with different equipment.”

Hans said they also work to keep their equipment as current as they can. “The perception of a logging outfit can be very much based on the quality of the equipment you have on the ground. It’s important to have people wanting to work for you, and to get quality people, you need to have some shiny equipment out there.”

Hans noted the industry as a whole seems to be putting effort into smoothing

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28

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - March/April 2016

out the work schedule through the year— at least as much as it can.

“The industry seems to have changed a little bit—they realize, especially when the oil patch came on strong, that they needed to try to get away from the typical logging schedule where you go like crazy for eight months of the year, and have four quiet months.

“If you can stretch things out a bit more, keeping logging contractors busy longer, maybe starting a bit earlier in the spring, everybody benefits.”

In terms of the future for Wadlegger, it’s kind of steady as she goes. “I think it’s important that we just maintain a steady flow right now,” says Hans. “We have things set up for a certain level of business and we want to be able to hit our targets.”

Even though the industry has improved greatly since the downturn, Hans noted there is still some uncertainty out there—and they need to be flexible and keep on their toes. “We’re under no illusions; there are a lot of things you can’t control in this business, from markets to the weather—we have to be as flexible as possible.”

milldustcontrol

INCREASING SAWMILL SAFETY, post-Burns Lake/Lakeland A culture of increased safety has emerged in the B.C. forest industry, four years after two horrific sawmill accidents that claimed four lives.

By Jim Stirling

A

culture of increased safety is slowly emerging in British Columbia’s sawmilling industry.

The development is a child of tragedy.

Fine sawdust-induced explosions and fires—three months apart—at two separate sawmills in central B.C. killed four men, injured dozens more and shocked an industry.

The 2012 horrors at Babine Forest Products near Burns Lake and Lakeland Mills in Prince George demanded and received an immediate reaction from the forest industry. A result, four years later, is the recognition that workers have the right to a safe workplace in practice as well as in theory.

“I think hourly employees and management see this. Yes, production is important but so is safety,” says Ken Higginbotham, 30

Manufacturers Advisory Group (MAG) project manager.

The MAG was formed in 2009 as an ad hoc group drawn from about a dozen of B.C.’s major forest companies. Its members shared best practices in forest safety issues. When then Canfor president Don Kayne and West Fraser chairman Hank Ketcham held an emergency meeting after the Lakeland explosion, they looked to the MAG as a ready-made vehicle of executives familiar with each other to define an effective and practical response to the sawmill sawdust issue.

The role of sawdust as an explosion risk trigger—especially when in its finest granular form—was clinically analyzed through FPInnovations, the forest industry research institute. Working from the FPInnovations’ findings, the CEO task force through MAG and its other forest industry partners developed an audit standard Logging & Sawmilling Journal - March/April 2016

around the management of combustible dust. The audit was subsequently made available to all sizes of wood product manufacturing plants to use as they deemed appropriate.

The formalization of the MAG under the direction of the CEO task force continued in April 2015, when the group came under the wing of the B.C. Forest Safety Council. The Canadian Pellet Association is also connected now to the B.C. Forest Safety Council.

“We’re in our early days, but the MAG gets very good support from the forest safety council,” says Higginbotham.

The determination to make B.C.’s sawmills safer is evident in other ways. Agencies like regulator WorkSafeBC conduct

to page 32

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milldustcontrol from page 30 more mill inspections for sawdust management. Knowing more about the properties of combustible sawdust has accelerated development of machines and methods to more effectively remove the material from the work environment. Equipment manufacturers have been quick to supply the means to meet mill owners’ goals.

The investment in dollar terms alone has been considerable. West Fraser and Canfor, the two largest sawmill operators in B.C., estimate they’ve each invested around $50 million on managing combustible dust within their respective operations.

More powerful bag houses, 20 metres high, have become regular features of a modern sawmill’s skyline. Rotating bags within the towers filter dust particles sucked out from around machine centres and conveying systems through an elaborate collection of pipes and ducts like a giant vacuum system. Sawmills have become much safer places, with dust accumulations sharply reduced and potential dust ignition sources like lights and electrical equipment moved or contained.

The air is cleaner and clearer as a result.

Sinclar Enterprises estimates the dust

control improvement factor at its rebuilt Lakeland sawmill in Prince George at more than seven times the mill it replaced. The new Lakeland mill, with the advantage of literally being built from the ground up, is a showcase of safety first features. This includes attention to the small details, like eliminating level surfaces where dust can accumulate.

More sawmill workers have a heightened awareness—through training—of

sawdusts’ potential volatility: it was, after all, four of their fellow workers who died on the job at Babine and Lakeland.

Separate coroner’s inquests were held into the Babine and Lakeland deaths.

One of the 33 recommendations from the coroner’s jury at the Lakeland inquest was for WorkSafeBC to establish mandatory to page 34

WorkSafeBC offers tools for controlling combustible dust

C

ombustible dust presents a serious workplace hazard whether a manufacturing facility produces wood dust or many other types of dust, says WorkSafeBC. If the dust is disturbed, enough dust becomes airborne and if a source of ignition is present, then the dust may explode. Uncontrolled cleaning activities may also generate a dust cloud that could explode. Employers must manage dust so that it does not present a risk of fire and explosion, says WorkSafe BC. The safety organization offers resources which make up an online toolbox designed to help workers, supervisors and employers meet the legal duties outlined in WorkSafeBC policy and the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation.

This toolbox also contains information, training tools and templates that can be used to develop policies and practices to deal with combustible dust hazards in a workplace. The toolbox is available online at www2.worksafebc.com Among the areas covered: • Controlling the hazards of combustible dusts in manufacturing • Dust collection systems in manufacturing facilities • Fire and explosion hazards posed by dust collectors located indoors • What is combustible dust?

• Combustible dust: awareness and controls • Combustible dust and your right to refuse unsafe work

32

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - March/April 2016

milldustcontrol from page 32 training and education for a mill’s health and safety committee members. Another jury recommendation instructs mills to report “near miss” incidents to WorkSafeBC, rather than just those incidents resulting in time loss injuries. Some mills have created new jobs on the mill floor where sawdust monitoring and control is a major part of the responsibilities.

The cumulative effect of all these initiatives is solid progress on managing combustible dust in B.C.’s sawmills and wood processing plants. The situation is

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34

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - March/April 2016

reflected in figures obtained from WorkSafeBC by the Vancouver Sun newspaper through a freedom for information request. WorkSafeBC inspections of more than 100 sawmills and a dozen wood pellet manufacturing plants in B.C. during 2015 resulted in no citations for dust accumulations considered a risk for fire or explosion.

However, WorkSafeBC inspectors did issue orders for improvements to be implemented for six mills’ dust control programs. In contrast, many more mills had been cited for unacceptable wood dust levels during WorkSafeBC’s previous rounds of inspections in 2013 and 2014.

Hourly sawmill workers are in the front line.”Yes, we have made significant progress curtailing dust and shavings in our sawmills,” agrees Frank Everitt, president of Local 1-424 of the Steelworkers Union, the union representing them and a participant in the MAG. “But we have to continue the battle to get as much done as possible.”

Everitt notes dust mitigation issues are routinely on the agendas of in-mill safety meetings. “We try to emphasize the need to stay vigilant,” he adds.

The MAG’s Ken Higginbotham concurs and says there have been positive signs the safety focus is being maintained. “In the last four years, I’ve been impressed with the consistency of attention.” He cites the continued personal involvement of the forest company CEOs. When the MAG and the forest safety council were discussing their new working relationship, the idea of appointing senior members of the mills’ management teams to serve on MAG was broached. “To a person, the CEOs said ‘No’. The commitment from the top remains.”

The MAG has become more than just a sharer of good safety practices.

The group is currently also investigating other ways to better safeguard sawmills. The work involves anything that relates to the safeguarding issue from hand railings in mills to lock out procedures and requirements surrounding dealing safely with jam-ups in planer mill operations, says Higginbotham. “It appears to me, there is more of a culture in sawmills today about safety generally.”

milldustcontrol

B.C. mill accidents continue to have ripples

T

he reverberations from explosions and fires that killed four B.C. sawmill workers in 2012 continue to resonate.

Robert Luggi and Carl Charlie lost their lives at the Babine Forest Products’ sawmill near Burns Lake. About three months later, Glenn Roche and Alan Little died from their injuries in a similar explosion and fire at Lakeland Mills in Prince George. Dozens of other workers on shift at the time of both incidents were injured. No one in the industry was left unaffected. Many have been looking for answers and accountability since 2012, including the families of the dead and injured workers.

The provincial Liberal government has rejected calls for a public inquiry into the Babine and Lakeland cases.

The Steelworkers union, which represents hourly sawmill workers, has collected a petition with about 20,000 signatures on it so far urging the government to change its mind about a public inquiry. Separate coroners’ inquests into the mill disasters last year resulted in accidental death verdicts, the only option available. Earlier, the Crown investigated the mill files and decided against recommending charges related to either incident.

Early in 2016, 10 people—including mill workers and families of the deceased in the two incidents—launched a class action suit against WorkSafeBC in B.C. Supreme Court. WorkSafeBC denied the claims made in the suit in its response. The regulatory agency maintained a class action suit is not permitted under its regulations, and says a two year time limit for claims has expired.

WorkSafeBC has levied fines against the owners of Babine and Lakeland sawmills related to the explosions and fires. Both companies have appealed the fines. Insurance issues related to the explosions and fires are also before the courts. None of the claims have been proven in court.

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - March/April 2016

35

toplumberproducers

Canfor still top

lumber producer

Canada’s total lumber shipments increased by more than nine per cent in 2015, but some Canadian forest companies are continuing their pivot to the U.S. South, with both Canfor—which continues to be Canada’s top lumber producer—and Interfor adding to their sawmill counts in the U.S. South during the year.

By Peter Butzelaar

T

he annual survey of the top Canadian lumber producers by International WOOD MARKETS highlights the growth in Canadian lumber production, but it also notes the ongoing acquisitions, expansions and capital expenditures Canadian forest companies

36

are making in the U.S. South. While fibre supply constraints pose a serious challenge in Canada, the U.S. South appears to offer a more ample supply of sawlogs and a more favourable outlook.

For the sixth consecutive year, total North American softwood lumber shipments were up, increasing by 5.1 per cent in 2015 versus 2014 (from 55.6 Logging & Sawmilling Journal - March/April 2016

billion board feet to 58.5 billion board feet).

Although slower than anticipated, the continued recovery in the U.S. housing market—combined with strong growth in residential repair and remodelling— helped mitigate the slowdown in exports from North America to China. As a result, Canada’s total shipments grew by 9.2 per

toplumberproducers

cent (+2.2 billion board feet to 26.5 billion board feet), with total U.S. shipments up 1.9 per cent (+590 million board feet to 32.0 billion board feet).

Within Canada, shipments were up across all regions of the country, led by B.C. with an increase of 655 million board feet to 13.1 billion board feet (+5.2 per cent); this was followed by Quebec, up 603 million board feet to 5.5 billion board feet (+12.4 per cent), and Ontario, which saw a lift in shipments of 457 million board feet to 1.84 billion board feet (+33.1 per cent). While smaller in volume, Saskatchewan and Manitoba’s collective volume of shipments experienced a strong surge in 2015, expanding by 139 million board feet to 428 million board feet—equating to a 48.2 per cent increase.

The gains were due to a mix of mill restarts, upgrades and added shifts across Canada. However, further gains are likely to be constrained by sawlog supply limitations in B.C. pertaining to the mountain pine beetle infestation, as well as to annual allowable timber harvest reductions that have occurred in Quebec since 2004.

From 2010 through 2013, the top 10 Canadian producers grew their shipments year-over-year at a faster pace than the overall Canadian industry. However, in 2015 (as in 2014), softwood lumber shipments by the top 10 Canadian lumber producers grew at a slower pace than Canadian shipments as a whole (+2.0 per cent for the top 10 versus +9.2 per cent for Canada). As a result, the Canadian top 10 companies saw their output rise 312

million board feet to 15.7 billion board feet in 2015, and their share of national production slipped to 59.6 per cent from 63.8 per cent (see table).

The decline in market share is likely an indication of the large Canadian companies consolidating production and retooling mills to optimize for anticipated changes in the log profile and projected reductions in overall timber supply (particularly in the B.C. Interior, but also

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - March/April 2016

in Quebec). However, the U.S. South is proving to be a strategic pivot option for Canadian producers looking to raise their production and diversify their product mix. The key attraction of investing in the U.S. South is the region’s more readily available/affordable timber supply and its close proximity to the recovering housing to page 38

37

toplumberproducers from page 37 market. The most active “acquiring” Canadian companies in 2015 were Interfor and Canfor; Interfor increased its U.S. South mill count by three to nine mills, and Canfor added six mills to lift its count in the South to ten. West Fraser, on the other hand, added no new mills in 2015, but did reap benefits from the completion of several capital upgrades in kilns and planers.

Turning to the ranking of the top 10 Canadian firms, six were based in Western Canada and collectively produced 11.9 billion board feet (45.0 per cent of Canada’s shipments); this was up by 112 million board feet (+0.9 per cent) from 2014. Production for the top four eastern Canadian producers was 3.9 billion board feet (14.6 per cent of Canada’s shipments), up 200 million board feet (5.5 per cent) from the prior year.

The order of the top four Canadian producers was as follows: Canfor, West Fraser, Tolko and Resolute—unchanged from 2014. Climbing into fifth position was Western Forest Products as Interfor slipped into seventh (from fifth). Collectively, the top five Canadian producers raised their production to 11.9 billion board feet (45.2 per cent of Canadian lumber output), versus 11.6 billion board feet (48.0 per cent) in 2014. Canfor retained its lead spot, increasing its output through capital upgrades by 94 million board feet (to 3.83 billion board feet; +2.5 per cent) despite the closure of its Canal Flats, B.C. sawmill in November.

Maintaining its close second position was West Fraser at 3.60 billion board feet (+123 million board feet; +3.5 per cent).

West Fraser’s volumes were carried higher by a number of capital expansion projects completed in 2014 and the acquisition of the Manning Diversified sawmill in Alberta in October.

Tolko placed third, with its output rising by 74 million board feet to 1.96 billion board feet (+3.9 per cent) despite cutting production by half at its Quesnel, B.C. mill beginning in October.

Fourth-place Resolute lifted its output by 93 million board feet to 1.68 billion board feet (+5.9 per cent), with the gains primarily coming from the addition of two Ontario sawmills that came online in 2015.

Western saw its output contract by 17 million board feet (to 891 million board feet). The reduction, which can be attributed to disruptions related to capex upgrades at multiple sawmills in 2015, 38

positions the company for higher volumes in 2016.

Interfor’s drop in 2015 production by 159 million board feet to 784 million board feet (-16.9 per cent) was due to a combination of market related downtime taken by its various Canadian mills, as well as the curtailment of its Castlegar, B.C. mill while the company completed work on a major mill upgrade.

As the results for 2015 clearly show, Canadian lumber producers remained active in broadening their footprint in the U.S. while continuing to invest in their Canadian mills. Canadian mills faced Logging & Sawmilling Journal - March/April 2016

some thin margins at times in 2015 and also had to factor in the risks posed by currency volatility, quality/affordability of timber, and the winding down of the Softwood Lumber Agreement in October.

As a result, Canadian producers are maintaining their relentless focus on reducing costs and improving lumber yields and grade recoveries.

For 2016, the greatest wild card will be the outcome of ongoing negotiations for

to page 40

toplumberproducers from page 38 the next Softwood Lumber Agreement.

This will be the greatest unknown that the Canadian industry will have to deal with, as a punitive agreement (which can only be expected given the American resolve) will not be good news.

For those looking to better understand the global market dynamics and outlook for softwood logs and lumber, International WOOD MARKETS is hosting is 6th annual Global Softwood Log & Lumber Conference May 5-6, 2016 in Vancouver.

The first day of the conference will feature a number of expert speakers on industry and market developments in North America, China, Japan, Russia, Europe, Southern Hemisphere and other key markets and supplying regions. The conference theme will address ongoing supply shocks and dislocations coupled with a rebounding U.S. market in conjunction with developments in Asian markets and the potential role of European and Russian exporters. The second day will focus exclusively on the trends and outlook for China’s market and Russia’s new export potential. A key feature of the conference

are the three Panel Sessions that will profile the perspectives of traders, producers, importers and analysts on key topics and issues.

More information on the conference can be found at: www.woodmarkets.com/ conference/global-conferences/ ___________________________________ Peter Butzelaar is Vice President, International WOOD MARKETS Group.

International WOOD MARKETS Group Inc. is Canada’s largest wood products consulting firm. Its consulting team has provided industry and market expertise in the solid wood products field to its clients since 1993. The company provides market research, new business development and business plan/strategy as well as other consultative services to wood product companies in North America and around the world. The firm also publishes eight strategic industry reports including its landmark WOOD Markets Monthly International Report (since 1996) and monthly China Bulletin. Further information is available on www.woodmarkets.com.

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Logging & Sawmilling Journal - March/April 2016

associationmeetings

SOLID SPEAKER LINE-UP FOR SAW FILERS

The upcoming B.C. Saw Filer’s Association conference—being held in Kamloops April 29 - April 30 at the Coast Hotel and Conference Center—will feature a solid line-up of speakers and the latest in saw filing technology.

By Paul MacDonald

T

he upcoming B.C. Saw Filer’s Association conference—being held in Kamloops April 29 - April 30 at the Coast Hotel and Conference Center—is expected to be another success, with solid attendance, and good participation from the equipment companies that supply the filing rooms which form the backbone of sawmills across B.C. The trade show portion of the event begins at noon on Friday April 29 and ends at 7 p.m. and is open to all filers, mill managers and maintenance supervisors. In 2015, the conference had 40 exhibitors, offering attendees a look at the latest in technology, products and services, and this year promises to be a continuation of that theme.

In the theatre room after the trade show, the association is planning a full

42

buffet dinner, followed by entertainment featuring an improv group.

On Saturday April 30, the association will hold its Annual General Meeting.

Registration is available on site Friday and Saturday, and the association is planning an early registration option where dinner tickets may also be purchased. More information regarding the agenda for the AGM and how to register early is on the B.C. Saw Filer's website at www.bcsawfilers.com.

“On behalf of the executive, we would like to thank everyone in advance for their continued support,” says Marty Vatkin, president of the association.

“The importance of a conference such as ours is not only that it allows us to renew old acquaintances and make new ones, but it also brings together new technology and ideas for us to learn, and remain competitive in the future. We are looking forward to seeing everyone in Kamloops,” Vatkin added.

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - March/April 2016

Attendees can expect to see—and hear about—new filing technology, both at the trade show and at the conference sessions. “More than anything else, the message at the conference will be that filers and sawmills should not hesitate to try the new technology that is available,” says Vatkin. “We all know what works, and the tried and true is important, but so is trying out new technology.”

The trade show portion of the show will certainly feature new technology, and increasing filing equipment automation.

But it’s important to realize that automation does not replace people, Vatkin added. “Automation allows us to do a better job as saw filers—it enhances what we are able to do, and we’re emphasizing that is the approach we need to take in employing new technology.” to page 44

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associationmeetings from page 42 Vatkin said there is a strong focus on getting maintenance superintendents, mill management, electricians and millwrights to attend the conference, to get a better understanding of the work that saw filers do to keep the sawmills of B.C. operating smoothly. “I think it would help them to do their job better, and it would help us to do our job better, if the understanding was greater.”

Vatkin noted that saw filers used to be reluctant to share information about what they do—but that is now more in the past. “We really can’t do that anymore,” he says. “We need to have the other people in the mill understand what we do, and how we do it. The more understanding there is, the more willingness there is to work as part of a group.”

There continues to be growing concern about a shortage of saw filers—and that the shortage is going to be worse going forward, from all appearances. It’s part of an overall concern about where the forest industry workers of the future, including very skilled workers such as saw filers, are going to come from.

The B.C. Saw Filer’s Association Conference being held in Kamloops in April is expected to be another success, with solid attendance, and good participation from the equipment companies that supply the filing rooms which form the backbone of sawmills across B.C. Earlier this year, the B.C. government hosted a roundtable on access to skilled labour for the forestry sector.

Forestry sector representatives met with the federal and provincial governments to discuss skilled-labour initiatives and human-resource planning, as part of a series of roundtables being held this year throughout B.C. The roundtables, co-hosted with

industry associations and employers, aim to stimulate discussion and create awareness about how sectors can access skilled labour and satisfy human-resource requirements, as a result of an aging population. These demographic realities—

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44

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - March/April 2016

B.C. Saw Filer’s Association

AGENDA

Friday, April 29 10:00 am ������������� Open for registration 12 am– 7:00 pm ��� Trade show open 7:00 pm ���������������� Theatre opens for meet & greet, dinner & show Saturday, April 30 8:30 am ���������������� Doors open for registration – coffee available 9:00 am ���������������� Annual AGM 10:00 am �������������� Break 10:15 am �������������� Barry Nakahara, Work Safe BC “Wood Dust” 11:00 am �������������� Break 11:15 am �������������� Ron Mohr, Interfor Sawmills “Quality Control & Saw Issues” 12:00 pm �������������� Simonds International Luncheon 1:30 pm ���������������� Eric Gabara, HMT “New Sawmill Technology” 2:15 pm ���������������� Break 2:30 pm ���������������� Jim Hodgson, Hodgson Saw “V-Top Saw teeth” 3:15 pm ���������������� Break 3:30 pm ���������������� Jennifer Booth, Colleen Rogan, ITA Topic: “Saw Filer Program Report” 4:00 pm ���������������� Break/Executive Meeting 4:15 pm ����������������� Open Forum Discussion

associationmeetings

B.C. needs saw filers—and other forest industry workers

S

o what is the jobs situation in B.C., and in B.C.’s forest industry?

Well, the B.C. government notes that the province has reached a tipping point where more B.C. residents are leaving the workforce than entering it.

The province says that: • Forestry is the main driver in more than 40 per cent of regional economies in B.C., contributing $7 billion to the economy.

• The forestry sector employs over 60,000 British Columbians in areas such as forest management, silviculture and manufacturing.

• Close to 3,600 job openings are projected in the forest industry through to 2024, according to the province’s Labour Market Outlook.

• The highest demand will be for logging machinery operators, truck drivers, hand fallers, and logging workers, with opportunity in over 26 other job areas—including those requiring higher levels of education, such as forestry

professionals and technicians—and, says the B.C. Saw Filers Association, saw filers.

• Through B.C.’s Skills for Jobs Blueprint, the Province is helping British Columbians get the skills they need to be first in line for these job openings.

At Camson College on Vancouver Island, a new $30 million Centre for Trades Education and Innovation was opened earlier this year. With 80,000 square feet of learning space, the facility aims to build upon Camosun’s position as the largest provider of trades training on Vancouver Island.

A prominent feature at the centre are its soaring cedar beams, cut at local sawmills.

The irony is that B.C. does not have enough sawfilers at its sawmills now— and will likely have even fewer in the future—to enable the smooth and efficient production of the wood that goes into these buildings that train trades people.

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - March/April 2016

45

associationmeetings from page 44 together with economic growth—place significant pressure on key sectors, such as the forest industry, to find innovative solutions to address skills shortages.

Participants were invited to share information and discuss the unique challenges in the forestry sector, specifically related to recruiting and training a qualified workforce. The issue is getting attention from high levels.

“Our government is always looking at ways we can better partner with industry to address the shifting needs of B.C.’s labour market,” said Steve Thomson, B.C.’s Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations.

“We appreciate government’s focus on skills training, as prompt action is required given the lead time needed to address the forest sector’s challenges in training our next generation of workers,” said Mike

Cass, co-chair of the B.C. Forest Sector Workforce Initiative.

This critical need for training the next generation of workers applies directly to saw filers in sawmills right across B.C. “I think the industry is going to be in for a huge hit,” says Vatkin. “There are just too many guys that are my age—I’m 57—and older that have retired or are going to retire, and we don’t have the apprenticeships going on that we need—we are not even close,” he says.

Vatkin is head filer at Interfor’s Adams Lake sawmill, and he has 12 guys on his crew. “Only three of them are under 50,” he says.

Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops will have several saw filing apprenticeship programs going this year, but it’s not enough to meet the needs of the industry, says Vatkin.

The major lumber producing companies in B.C.—such as Interfor, Canfor and West

Fraser—need to step up to the plate with their own training initiatives, he says. “They need more apprenticeships—period,” he says.

If things continue as they are now, the sawmills are going to be in very tough situations going forward. “They are going to be paying big dollars for the sawfiling expertise.”

It looks as if the companies are seeing automation as a solution to the issue of not having enough filers—but that’s not the best approach, Vatkin says. “Part of their thinking is that they are going to be able to fix things with automation and automated equipment. But it should not be a matter of reducing your tradespeople with automated equipment—you should be using automation so your people can do a better job. That’s really what it should be all about.”

Sawfiling: there's no career like it

T

he B.C. Sawfilers’ Association is working hard to try to get more people interested in taking on sawfiling as a career—and association vicepresident Marty Vatkin says it’s a career with a good future.

“We need to market sawfiling to younger people—it’s a good, lucrative career that is going to be around for a long time, and the job prospects are only going to get better. As an association, we have to let more people know that.

46

“Part of the perception,” he says, “is that sawmills are dying—that they are not going to be here in 10 years’ time. Well, I heard that same line when I started as a saw filer in the 1980s.” It wasn’t true then—and it’s not true now, he adds.

If you’re looking for a challenging job in the sawmill, it doesn’t get much better than being a sawfiler, Vatkin says.

“You need to be very mechanical and analytical—you need to be able to look at equipment and see where the issue

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - March/April 2016

is—and be able to fix it.

“For me, it’s very rewarding because you can see the results of your work every day—you win the battles to keep the mill productive and efficient.”

Although he works as head filer at Interfor’s Adams Lake sawmill, Vatkin also has a laser alignment company, and it’s taken him to do mill alignments all over North America, South America and into the U.S. So who are good candidates for sawfilers? “Well, if you are going to be a sawfiler, number one, you need to be mechanically inclined,” he says.

“And you need to have the ability to think outside the box. Where other people might be scratching their heads looking at a problem, it’s your job to come up with solutions.”

Vatkin adds that it can involve a different thought process, with a focus on solving problems by looking at them differently. “It’s not one of those jobs where you read a book, and then are able to go do it. You do have to read the book, but you have to think outside the box and do the practical learning.”

Vatkin says a good candidate for a saw filer is someone who is a problem solver, who works well under pressure—and is able to deliver results that help keep a sawmill cutting lumber efficiently and effectively.

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Albertalogging

LOGGER, SAWMILLER— and CATTLE FARMER

With logging, sawmill, cattle and farming operations, to say that Darcy Coleman’s days are busy would be an understatement. But he has hired knowledgeable management staff to look after the day to day operations of his logging company, which helps a lot.

48

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - March/April 2016

Albertalogging Alberta logging contractor Darcy Coleman is one heck of a busy guy— in addition to his logging operation, he also has a small sawmill and farms 400 acres, with 50 head of Black Angus cattle.

By Tony Kryzanowski

W

hile some people prefer as little complexity in their life as possible, others enjoy plenty of

variety.

Alberta logger Darcy Coleman definitely falls into the second category in both his business life and in his equipment fleet.

In addition to logging primarily for West Fraser Timber—supplying both their Sundre Forest Products sawmill in Sundre with sawlogs and their laminated veneer

the Alberta side of the Rocky Mountain Foothills, about 45 minutes southwest of Rocky Mountain House in West Fraser’s Falls Creek compartment and they are averaging between 4 and 4.5 trees per cubic metre in that area. Their cutblocks can sometimes have slope up to 45 degrees, so two of the company’s four feller bunchers are tilters. Finding enough space to deck their logs is a constant challenge, given the terrain in which they work.

Their logs are all delivered cut-tolength (CTL), with a specific 17’ pine log with a maximum 17” butt and minimum

Coleman Forest Products prefers to work with Waratah 622 processing heads (above on a Tigercat H855C) because, says Darcy Coleman, little has changed in their successful, physical design in the past 10 years, giving the operation a level of comfort when investing in newer models. lumber (LVL) plant near Strachan with peeler logs—Coleman also operates a small sawmill, farms 400 acres, and has 50 head of Black Angus cattle. Every day is a full day.

Coleman owns Coleman Forest Products with his wife, Stephanie. The company is near Sundre, about 120 kilometres northwest of Calgary.

In total, the company harvests about 200,000 cubic metres of softwood annually in what Coleman calls “moderate to difficult” terrain. About three-quarters of their wood diet is lodgepole pine and the rest is white spruce.

The majority of their logging is done on

7” top, sorted out at roadside as a peeler log for the LVL plant. The rest are sorted out as sawlogs in two foot increments from 8’ to 16’, with the preference being 16’ logs for the Sunpine sawmill.

While he has been involved in forestry since his teenage years and is familiar with running all the equipment, Coleman now spends most of his time working in the office and shuttling amongst his various endeavors to ensure each runs smoothly.

A foreman takes care of day to day activity in the forest.

Coleman says he has noticed a considerable change in the logging industry recently as it relates to hiring operators.

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - March/April 2016

“In the past when we advertised and the oil industry was booming, we’d maybe get one response to our advertisement,” he says. “Now, we are getting more than 50 applicants for each position.”

The past oil boom not only had an influence on the availability of good operators, but also log trucks and drivers.

For that reason, Coleman Forest Products recently ventured into the log haul area, as well. Although this represents a significant additional expense to the business, Coleman says it provides them with an assurance that their logs will be delivered on a timely and consistent basis, which is important for maintaining cash flow since they are paid on a delivered cubic metre basis. They harvest about 160,000 cubic metres of their total annual volume for West Fraser, and Coleman says now that they have taken on the log haul, they are comfortable with that volume of wood.

“There’s a transition there for sure to match your hauling capacity with your harvesting capacity,” he says, “but I believe that it’s a better fit for our company now that we do both.”

There has also been an adjustment in learning the differences in managing the log haul and roads in snowy winter conditions. But Coleman says that typically the amount of snowfall in winter is not a major challenge for either the logging operations or log haul because warmer winds—Chinooks—help to keep the snow pack manageable.

Darcy and his brother, Bruce, learned about the forest industry as teenagers growing up in the late 1970s working on a sawmill on the family farm. In 1994, they obtained a local timber permit (LTP) and began operating their own small sawmill.

They also purchased a skidder and did custom work for other small sawmills in the area. In 1996, they incorporated Coleman Forest Products. In 2002, Bruce sold his share to Darcy’s wife, Stephanie, and the business has grown from there into a fully mechanized stump to dump operation. They employ 30 people and log about 10 months of the year.

In addition to logging, they also own a 5,000 cubic metre provincial commercial timber permit (CTP) and process the to page 50 49

Albertalogging from page 49

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lodgepole pine and white spruce from that area on their Kara sawmill, which is located south of Sundre. It operates year round with three employees—a sawyer, manual stacker, and wheel loader operator. The sawmill produces rough, green lumber that might typically be used for cattle corrals for what Coleman describes as ‘local cash and carry’ customers. However, they also do considerable business supplying 4” X 4”, 4” X 6” and 6” X 6” squares to West Fraser for their wood treatment plant.

Coleman Forest Products continues to offer custom logging services to other CTP holders in the area.

“We got more into the logging because there seemed to be more opportunity for growth there rather than on the sawmill side of the business,” says Coleman. One aspect of taking on the log haul that they’ve had to get used to is the amount of extra liability and general public scrutiny it brings.

“If your skidder has a burned out light, you can still run your skidder, but if your truck has a burned out light, it is going to be out of service,” he says.

They own seven log trucks and employ two sub-contractors. Four of their trucks are Western Star 4900 trucks and three are Kenworth T800 trucks. All their trucks have tri-drive axle configurations designed for hauling logs.

They have four feller bunchers in their fleet, which includes a Komatsu 450 tilter, a Tigercat 870 tilter, a flat bottomed John Deere 953K, and a flat bottomed Valmet 445 EX. Their skidders consist of a Tigercat 630D, two John Deere 748 GIII’s, and one John Deere 848 H. Their processor carriers are a John Deere 2054, a Hitachi 200 Forester, a Hitachi 210 Forester, two John Deere 2154D units, and a Tigercat H855C carrier. All are equipped with Waratah 622B processing heads.

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In addition to logging, Coleman Forest Products also operates a Kara sawmill, producing a high volume of squares sold to West Fraser Timber’s treatment plant.

The sawmill also produces rough, green lumber that might typically be used for cattle corrals for customers.

roadside, which allows us to build higher decks. The forwarder also comes in handy where there are long distance hauls between fallen timber in the block and roadside, because by processing at the stump, the forwarder is able to deliver finished product to roadside.”

Speaking about the variety of equipment brands in his fleet, Coleman says they have opted to include the Komatsu and Valmet brands in with their feller bunchers because they have a long term operator who prefers to use them. The design is an upgrade to the old Timbco feller bunchers, with their unique boom and cab configuration.

When selecting equipment, Coleman says price is important, as is the equip-

“Our first processor that we bought in 2000 was a Waratah and we’ve had good success with that brand,” says Coleman.

“It’s suited to our type of timber. They came out with the 622B about 2003 and although they’ve had some software changes over the years, the basic machine is still the same. We can take a knife arm off a 2003 model and still put it on a 2014 model.”

Their fleet includes a Caterpillar 527 tracked skidder with a swing grapple to retrieve logs in steeper and softer ground, and they also own a Caterpillar 575 forwarder.

“In certain circumstances, the forwarder is a benefit, especially in roadside areas where we don’t have enough room to deck all the wood,” Coleman says.

“We’ll process at the stump and then use the forwarder to transport the wood to

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Albertalogging from page 50 ment’s ability to operate in summer logging conditions without heating up.

He says that one of the biggest challenges that Canadian logging contractors now face is the cost of replacing aging equipment, considering the escalating cost of equipment because of the influence of the American dollar. For example, he anticipates that the cost to replace his Komatsu 450 tilting feller buncher will likely be about $140,000 more, yet logging rates have largely remained the same since the day that the buncher was bought new in 2012. He understands that Canadian forestry companies are not benefiting greatly from the current wide margin between the Canadian and American dollar when selling their products to the United States. That’s because the last Softwood Lumber Agreement included a proviso that tariff duties would rise to Canadian companies exporting to the United States if the exchange rate differential widened.

But at the same time, he’s not sure how Canadian logging contractors can afford to absorb this significant increase to the cost of equipment. One option for Coleman

Coleman Forest Products has four feller bunchers in their fleet: two tilters and two flat bottomed units. Their John Deere 953K flat bottomed feller buncher (above) helps the company work productively, given the variety of terrain that they can encounter in the Rocky Mountain foothills.

Forest Products might be to consider purchasing lightly used equipment as replacements as they have three mechanics on staff, but with so many loggers facing the same challenge, that equipment will likely become quite scarce.

“We try to replace some machines every year just to stay current, but the future is going to be interesting given the

escalating cost of equipment,” Coleman says. “The challenge is going to be how we absorb a 25 per cent increase in the cost of machinery with no change in the logging rates.” He expects that this will be a major topic of discussion during rate negotiations with many logging contractors this year.

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eastcoastsawmilling

Lobster trap lumber

Nova Scotia’s AFT Sawmill was born out of necessity to provide lumber for the A. F. Theriault & Son Ltd. boatyard, but it now produces a broad range of products—with a significant “value add” lumber product being lobster trap components.

At the AFT mill operation, quality boards are edged by an Anderson edger. Boards and small squared timbers (for guardrail posts, pallet stock and lobster trap stock) continue to a Canadian style trimmer, where the boards are graded by NHLA qualified grader Eric Stark (above).

By George Fullerton

T

he AFT Sawmill mill in St. Joseph, Nova Scotia holds a unique place in the forest industry in the western end of the province. The AFT mill is an important market for hardwood sawlogs for both industrial and private woodlot forestry operations in the region.

Augustine Francois Theriault (the AFT in AFT Sawmill) began operating the A.F. Theriault & Son Ltd. Boatyard in nearby Meteghan in 1938, and sourced lumber from a number of small mills in the region.

Initially the boatyard built wooden fishing boats to serve the Bay of Fundy and the Atlantic coastal fisheries. In 1978, Augustine’s sons Ernest, Arthur, Russell and Larry took over management responsibilities and purchased the mill, in order to ensure lumber availability for the shipyard.

Brian Lombard had been working in 54

the shipyard for a number of years as a draftsman when one Friday afternoon his boss, Ernest Theriault, approached him and invited him to go for a drive. Lombard said they arrived at the sawmill, and were having a look around, when Theriault stopped. With a sweep of his arms, he said to Lombard: “This could all be yours.”

Somewhat surprised by the random announcement, Lombard requested a bit of clarification. It turned out the announcement was an offer to become manager of the sawmill. “Give me your decision Monday morning,” was the next point of discussion.

Lombard became manager in 2000, not having any real sawmill experience.

He explained he was 27-years-old at the time—and the next youngest employee was in his mid-fifties.

“All those older guys taught me all about sawmilling,” said Lombard. “I had never Logging & Sawmilling Journal - March/April 2016

even seen a sawmill up close before. There was a lot to learn.”

In addition to overseeing the day-today sawmill supervision, Lombard also has log buyer responsibilities, handles log scaling, manages the value add manufacturing including the kiln operation—and if all this is not enough, he also handles marketing and shipping.

The third generation of the Theriault Family—John, David and Gilles—currently own and operate the boatyard with about 175 employees and the AFT sawmill, with its 10 to 12 employees.

As time and technologies advanced, wooden boats and ships have been supplanted by steel, aluminum and fiberglass.

The Theriualt boatyard currently operates two slips rated for 300 and 600 tons. to page 56

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eastcoastsawmilling from page 54 The demand for lumber in boat construction has been reduced, essentially to a small amount of wood used in their shop to build interior cabinets and trim for boats.

But as a brief tour of the boatyard’s wood shop illustrated, finished wood and craftsmanship continues to be an important element in the boat building. The woodworking is unique, attractive and durable. And as Lombard pointed out, there is very seldom a straight piece of structure in a boat, so each piece of wood trim or component is unique to the vessel and application.

As a result of the reduced use of hardwood lumber in the boat yard, the AFT sawmill markets the bulk of its production to markets throughout eastern Canada.

AFT saws about three million board feet annually. Logs are delivered from operations all over the western end of Nova Scotia. Delivered logs are spread on the ground and individually stick-scaled and then the logs are piled by species.

“We saw logs by species because each species has unique grade specifications

The Volvo wheel loader at the AFT Sawmill maintains a very busy pace, including moving railroad ties (above). It also handles logs and residue loading at the mill.

Much of their sawdust is marketed to pellet operations in the Annapolis Valley that use a 50-50 blend of straw and sawdust to manufacture domestic heating pellets. and graded lumber is marketed by species,” explained Lombard.

Log delivery is year round, and because of the recent downturn in the forest industry, the mill has witnessed temporary shutdowns due to a shortage of logs. Lombard offered that last winter’s excessive snow accumulation was no help for forestry operations and log deliveries, either.

“We are very fortunate that our owners

also operate the boatyard,” he said. “So when we shut down because of a shortage of sawlogs, our sawmill workers can usually be transferred to the boatyard.

There is always something to do there.

Some of our crew have technical skills that can be put to work in the yard, and there is always work like painting or maintenance.

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eastcoastsawmilling The AFT Sawmill equipment set up is basic: it starts with the infeed to a Morbark rosserhead debarker (left).

Breakdown begins with a Morbark 48inch main saw with thirty-six inch top saw.

we bring them back to the mill and we don’t have to go looking for a new crew,” says Lombard.

Because the sawmill is about 15 kilometres from the nearest electric power line providing triple phase power, the AFT mill relies on a Caterpillar 3412 generating unit to supply power to the sawmill site.

The sawmill is basic: it starts with the infeed to a Morbark rosser head debarker.

Breakdown begins with a Morbark 48inch main saw with thirty-six inch top saw.

The sawyer turns the logs to get the best quality clear face lumber and the heartwood, typically, exits the mill as a 7” x 9”

or a 6” x 8” railroad tie timber.

Quality boards are edged by an Anderson edger. Boards and small squared timbers (for guardrail posts, pallet stock and lobster trap stock) continue to a Canadian style trimmer, where the boards are graded by NHLA qualified grader Eric Stark. Product then continues to a covered green chain, where lumber is stacked and stickered for kiln drying.

Throughout the mill there is working evidence of modified and fabricated gear, which no doubt borrows on the technical and fabrication skills of trades people in the boatyard. The custom made pieces

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - March/April 2016

include gear reduction drives, log and lumber feed tables, a semi-automatic crane system for stacking railroad ties and much more.

Green lumber is stored in an open walled, but covered, storage structure until it gets added to a kiln charge.

AFT constructed a new kiln building in 2011 to handle a 10,000 board feet charge. The new kiln features Nyle electric dehumidifying technologies.

Lombard laments the recent closing of Riverbend Flooring and Finewood Flooring in eastern Nova Scotia, which has resulted in AFT having to go out of province to find markets for their # 2 and # 3 common lumber. to page 58

57

eastcoastsawmilling from page 57 Kiln dried lumber goes into dry lumber storage, while it waits for trucking to customers.

While a good amount of lumber is shipped out of province, AFT also supplies local manufacturing businesses in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, in addition to in-house value add manufacturing.

Heat-treated pallets are one of their major products. Pallet stock is broken down with a Baker re-saw, and a gang saw. Planer, and chop saws round out the value add tooling. AFT also buys heat treated softwood lumber and manufactures it into pallets for local industries.

Another significant “value add” lumber product is lobster trap components. It takes a lot of relatively small pieces of lumber to assemble a wooden lobster trap, and AFT breaks down low grade lumber to produce high quality, small dimension lobster trap components. AFT produces standardized pieces that are strapped by size, packaged and palletized for delivery to customers.

While plastic wire mesh lobster traps have made inroads into the lobster industry, Lombard said that wooden traps are still preferred by many in the industry.

Suggesting that a mixture of wood species could go into the small components for the lobster trap lumber, Lombard raised his hand to correct that assumption.

“The lobster fishermen who use wood traps are usually very particular about the species of wood they use to construct their traps, and that preference most likely goes back generations,” he explained.

“And add to that, species preference is also associated with the region where the traps are set. You will hear fishermen say they would never use ash for a trap—and then a guy will come along and he might say he will use nothing but ash. Then someone will come along and explain he fishes off a certain shore and in a certain

58

AFT mill manager Brian Lombard (below) oversees day to day operation of the sawmill. The third generation of the Theriault Family— John (at left), David and Gilles—currently own and operate the boatyard with its 175 employees and the AFT sawmill, with its 10 to 12 employees. The Baker resaw (bottom photo) is a key machine for AFT value added manufacturing, with its lines of products including pallets and lobster traps.

depth, and he has learned that nothing fishes better than a maple framed trap. So we also keep trap material separated by species.”

Much of the sawdust is marketed to pellet operations in the Annapolis Valley that use a 50-50 blend of straw and sawdust to manufacture domestic heating pellets. Chipped waste fibre goes to the export terminal at Sheet Harbour and is shipped to manufacturing plants overseas or to biomass markets. Bark and some sawmill waste is marketed as biomass in western Nova Scotia.

AFT buys oak, maple, birch, beech and some poplar logs. Lombard explained that his regular suppliers understand that hardwood logs need to be sawed and dried in a relatively short window after they are harvested. Sawing fresh harvested logs means they will produce stain free quality lumber and allows AFT to pay a good price for those logs.

“Occasionally a load of logs that has been lying in the woods for quite a while will land in the yard,” he said. “Since the wood has become stained over that period, the lumber will not make high grade, and no matter what clear face the logs will provide, it is essentially pallet quality lumber.” Lombard said that because of

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - March/April 2016

the stain degrade, the producer is disappointed by what they are paid. Lombard tells all his log producers to keep their hardwood saw logs moving to the mill, as fresh as they can, to avoid degrading stain.

Producing quality hardwood lumber starts with a high quality hardwood saw log. Loggers cut a lot of trees and are rewarded with only a few high quality saw logs. Locally, low grade hardwood is in great demand, from home owners, for wood heating. While separate from the AFT sawmill operation, the Theriault family utilizes a good deal of low grade hardwood in a fuel wood business, and sets up wood storage and processing on the AFT mill site, as well as the boatyard property, using Timberwolf and Hakki firewood processors.

Throughout its history, the AFT mill has seen a lot of challenges and changes in the forest industry. While change is sometimes challenging, Lombard remains confident that the Theriault family is committed to seeing the mill continue to operate and maintain its position as a quality lumber producer, an employer for workers and wood producers—and its key position for quality hardwood utilization in western Nova Scotia.

contractorprofile

Family forestry

Alberta’s Robill Contracting fully understands the value of prioritizing efficiency over volume—and when it comes to their logging operation, the focus is truly on the family.

By Tony Kryzanowski

M

aybe it’s the years they have invested into the logging business or a recent decision by one of the owners to donate a kidney to a logger friend that has helped to put a few things into perspective, but the current owners of Robill Contracting Ltd. bring a decidedly ‘enjoy the moment’ philosophy to their waning days in the cutblock these days.

Robill Contracting is owned by Russ McDonald and his cousins, Norm and Barry McDonald. Surrounded by family throughout their operations in central Alberta—with a couple of the owners seriously thinking of moving into retirement mode—their focus now is on running an efficient logging operation and passing on their considerable knowledge to younger family members. Their legacy is intact as a younger generation of McDonald’s is taking on more and more responsibility, with the goal of taking over the reins eventually.

“We’ve never been in it for the money,” says Russ. “It’s always been for the lifestyle, and that’s just the route we have chosen. We’ve been family oriented ever since the day the three of us took over. I just can’t see anyone operating without having family or even a partnership involved in this type of endeavor.”

The ownership group brings a wide variety of experiences and skills to the company which they are sharing with the younger generation. In addition to logging, Russ has worked in road construction, including the building of the Coquihalla Highway through southern B.C. Barry, an experienced truck driver, has the longest tenure with Robill Contracting, having joined the company right out of high school. Norm is a heavy duty mechanic with experience in road construction and the forest industry. So as logging goes, it’s a good combination for the requirements of operating an efficient business. For example, 90 per cent

of their equipment repairs are handled in-house.

They became involved in the business through their twin-brother fathers, who originally started the logging business in 1983, working in the Merritt area of British Columbia. The McDonald brothers started out with two D4 Cats salvaging wood from areas like blowdowns for Weyerhaeuser.

That progressed to selective logging, where they harvested specific log diameters in Douglas fir stands, typically harvesting about 50 per cent from each block.

With an annual cut of about 125,000 cubic metres, the owners of Robill Contracting focus on operating as efficiently as possible instead of chasing volume. There is a lot of green in the Robill Contracting fleet because of the after sales support the company receives from local John Deere dealer, Brandt Tractor.

60

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - March/April 2016

contractorprofile The workforce at Robill Contracting is definitely a family affair with (left to right) Devon, Brendan, Barry, Russ and Jordie McDonald, as well s Norm McDonald in the cab. Barry, Russ and Norm are the current owners.

The Cats also allowed them to perform some steep slope logging.

“Back in the early 1980s, there was a lot of selective logging in B.C.,” says Russ.

“Every mill had a small contractor doing it. There were a lot of small contractors back then.”

Robill Contracting progressed into full mechanical logging, and when Weyerhaeuser shut its sawmill in Merritt, the company moved to Princeton, B.C. In 2001, they sold their Evergreen logging contract to another logger, and eventually resurfaced working for West Fraser Timber, operating as a full stump-to-dump logging business headquartered in Sundre, Alberta. They supply logs to West Fraser’s Sundre Forest Products’ dimension lumber sawmill, as well as their laminated veneer lumber (LVL) plant at Strachan.

“We moved our entire families to Alberta,” says Russ, adding that their main motivation was the trend in B.C. toward larger logging contractors. They signed on to harvest 125,000 cubic metres annually

for West Fraser Timber, and although it was twice as much volume as they typically cut in B.C., it is still on the lower end compared to what is being harvested by many other Western Canadian loggers today. But that volume is an amount that the McDonald’s feel comfortable managing.

Their log diet consists of about 90 per cent lodgepole pine and 10 per cent spruce. Log diameters vary, as they can harvest anywhere from six trees to two trees per cubic metre. They have two sorts at roadside—a peeler sort of 17’ 3” logs for the LVL plant and a mixed sawlog sort in lengths from 8’ 6” to 16’ 6”.

Their equipment fleet consists of two John Deere 903K feller bunchers with full 360 degree rotating, 22” heads, which Russ says is a good match for their timber.

They have two skidders—a John Deere 748 skidder and a Caterpillar 545 skidder.

Their processing fleet consists of three John Deere 2154 carriers, two equipped with Waratah 622B processing heads and one with a Waratah 622C processing Logging & Sawmilling Journal - March/April 2016

head. They have a Caterpillar 324 loader and a Caterpillar 320 loader.

Robill Contracting recently updated their fleet, with their most recent purchases being a John Deere 903K feller buncher replacing an older G model, and a new John Deere 2154 carrier with the new Waratah 622C processing head. They typically keep their logging equipment up to about 14,000 hours. Past experience and after-sales support are critical when they make purchasing decisions.

“All of the equipment is built fairly well these days,” says Russ. “My personal preference in making a purchasing decision relates to the dealer. Where we live, there is only one company, in my opinion, that has made any investment into supporting forestry and that is Brandt.” Brandt Tractor is the Alberta dealer for John Deere.

Their log haul fleet consists of four Kenworth T800, eight axle trucks—two to page 62 61

contractorprofile from page 61 with Super B trailers and two with B-train trailers. As an experienced truck driver himself, Barry McDonald spearheaded Robill Contracting taking over its log loading and hauling about four years ago, and continues to supervise that part of the business today.

“We found that without taking on the log haul, we couldn’t control our deliveries and we couldn’t control our income very well,” says Russ, adding that taking control of this part of the operation has had a huge impact on their efficiency and cash flow predictability.

They have 18 employees, including their logging, log haul, and office staff.

Russ McDonald’s son, Jordie, two nephews Brendon and Devon, father-in-law, Dennis Brigden, as well as his wife, Karen, and daughter-in-law, Amy, are all part of the business.

“The real advantage of having family members involved is that it is really hands on and if there is an issue, we all dive in to help each other,” says Russ. “If one of us isn’t here, another family member covers off for that person, and they all seem to have a little more vested interest in everything.”

Russ says that the owners have thought about ramping up production in winter, but it’s always a question of finding the right employees, which has never been easy. Most of their employees now are established, family people living in nearby Sundre, so the company has been successful producing a steady volume over the entire year with a stable workforce.

He credits his son and nephews for attracting younger workers to the company.

Growing up in Sundre, they and their circle of school friends have helped to make the case for the decent paycheque, stability and home life offered by the forestry sector as the hedge against the bigger paycheques, work away from home, and instability of the oilpatch.

62

Robill Contracting has two sorts at roadside—one for peeler logs and one for sawlogs. It has three John Deere 2154D carriers and three 622 Waratah processor heads to process its logs.

“Most of our processor and skidder operators are younger guys right out of school,” says Russ.

Robill Contracting has a very good working relationship with West Fraser Timber, with a respectful understanding of what they will and will not do. For example, Robill Contracting has made it clear that it would prefer not to log on steep slopes. Because of the relationship they have with West Fraser and the experience they bring to the table, West Fraser makes every effort to assign Robill Contracting to areas that suit their fleet and desire to avoid steep slopes. This way, they are able to work exclusively with flat bottomed feller bunchers. Russ says that given the company’s experience, he knows that steep slope logging is more expensive.

Most of their logging takes place west of Rocky Mountain House in fairly flat to rolling terrain, and while they are able to avoid steep slopes, there is a lot of clay

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - March/April 2016

soil. This can be a big problem in wet conditions, especially with the log haul.

“Clay is a huge problem and it puts a lot of emphasis on where you put your roads,” says Russ. “That will make or break you. The approach is to seek higher ground with ditches and culverts to control the water. Access is everything.”

They are responsible for all their road building, which is somewhat unique with West Fraser in Alberta where, in most cases, the road building is a separate contract. However, Russ says they have proven that they are more than capable of handling it themselves, and having that control is a real advantage in both their logging and log haul operations.

Since they build their own roads, their roadbuilding equipment is a critical part of their fleet. It consists of a smaller Champion grader for block road maintenance. A Komatsu 220 backhoe works in tandem with the company’s Caterpillar D7R dozer to build roads and ditches, as well as install culverts as needed.

In terms of where they harvest their wood, West Fraser gives them plenty of advance notice, with one of the factors being the forest company’s ongoing commitment to the Alberta government’s mountain pine beetle control and prevention strategy.

“Over the last eight years, we have been directed to cut only over-mature pine,” says Russ. So far, that strategy seems to be working as there are no beetle infestation issues in the Rocky Mountain House and Sundre commercial forest areas.

engineeredwood

W LATHE LINE E cuts a brighter future for plywood plant N Employees at the Columbia Forest Products decorative plywood plant in Hearst were instrumental in convincing the company that a $15 million investment in a new lathe line at the plant would pay dividends—and it has.

With a new $15 million lathe line now in place at its hardwood plywood plant in the Ontario town of Hearst, Columbia Forest Products is looking to ramp up production—and better secure the jobs it provides, being the largest employer in the northern Ontario town.

By Tony Kryzanowski

I

t was a happy holiday season this past December for employees at Columbia Forest Products in Ontario, with the successful ramping up of a new $15 million lathe line at the company’s plywood plant in Hearst, and the announced reopening and $1.5 million investment into the company’s mothballed veneer plant in Rutherglen, Ontario.

“We’re very high on Ontario, its hardwood resources and most importantly, its smart, hard-working people,” says Gary

64

Gillespie, vice president of Columbia Forest Products’ Northern Operations.

Gillespie says that because the North American market for rotary hardwood veneer is improving, it made sense to reopen the Rutherglen plant. The company is the largest producer of rotary cut veneer in North America.

Though it has improved, the market situation has been extremely tough in recent years. Competition from imports had a severe impact on the viability of North American-based plywood and veneer plants over the past decade. Faced with Logging & Sawmilling Journal - March/April 2016

this competition, many plants closed—as did many North American-based furniture manufacturers—due to competition from offshore. These furniture manufacturers were major consumers of domestic, appearance grade plywood.

The widespread forest industry downturn in 2008—driven largely by the American housing crisis—didn’t help either, with Hearst plant manager Mike Fournier recounting the vast number of sawmills,

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engineeredwood from page 64 pulp mills and veneer plants in Ontario that were hit hard by the downturn.

“Since the arrival of offshore imports and the decline of the wood industry in North America, there is one hardwood, line by line, plywood plant left in Canada,” says Fournier. The domestic decorative plywood industry’s main competition comes from Asia and South America.

For quite some time, the over 200 employees at the Hearst plywood plant held their breath and waited for the other shoe to drop as mills in communities all around them closed. But through a lot of effort, they convinced head office that it was worthwhile to upgrade one of the last remaining hardwood plywood plants in Canada, and now they are reaping the fruits of their effort.

“Four years ago, I challenged the Hearst team to show our board of directors that the facility was worthy of this significant investment,” says Brad Thompson, Columbia president and CEO. “They rose to the occasion in the days and weeks that followed.” He adds that with the new Japanese-manufactured Meinan

Logs processed on the new Meinan lathe at the Columbia Forest Products plywood plant can be peeled down to a 60 mm core, which is half the size of the minimum core on the company’s old veneer lathe. lathe line now in place at the Hearst plant, its workforce is positioned “to be the best in the world at what they do”.

Fournier says that the plywood plant expects a significant increase in the peel

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quality and the yield from each log as a result of this investment in the Meinan lathe system. As a spindless lathe, Columbia will now have a log core drop of only 60 mm as opposed to 125 mm from its old Coe lathe.

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engineeredwood By increasing yield from each log, the plant is able to manufacture the same amount of veneer using fewer logs, and by applying this new technology, Columbia is also achieving a more consistent green veneer thickness.

“The increase in recovery that we are achieving is a very large number,” says Fournier, adding that he is amazed how smoothly the Meinan lathe operates.

Production earlier this year was 6,800 panels per day, with the ultimate goal being 10,500—an increase of about 50 per cent.

In 2014, the Hearst plant produced 103 million square feet (MSF) of decorative plywood based on 3/8” thickness.

The plywood is used specifically by the cabinet, design, architectural and furniture industries, with its main markets being Canada and the United States. Home Depot is one of the plant’s major customers.

The Hearst plant manufactures plywood in thicknesses from 6 mm to 38 mm, with their bread and butter product being plywood from 17 mm to 19 mm. All inner plies are aspen, and hardwood veneers applied to the face and back are any hardwood species harvested under Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) guidelines.

Production is customer-driven, and a lot of their veneers come from common North American species such as birch, maple, basswood, walnut and cherry wood.

Columbia itself operates a number of hardwood veneer mills in North America that supply this plywood plant. The source of their aspen inner plies is also FSC-certified.

Fournier says that Hearst is a good location for a decorative plywood plant because it is close to a good supply of aspen peeler logs, typically coming from within 200 kilometres of the plant. Columbia’s own woodlands division supplies 50 per cent of the plant’s peeler logs, with the rest coming from its hired logging contractors and contractors shared with other mills. Their annual allowable cut is 250,000 cubic metres of veneer logs.

The first phase of finding quality peeler logs takes place “right in the seat of the feller buncher,” with 36”’ diameter logs being the largest peeler log that the plant will accept and 8” being the smallest diameter. The length is 106” long. Smaller diameter and lower spec aspen logs are sold to oriented strandboard (OSB) producers and to pulp and paper mills.

“With the new lathe and new technol-

ogy that we are installing in the facility, we want to increase the yield,” says Fournier.

“If we increase yield, and are able to go to a smaller diameter peeler log, the overall objective is to produce more metres sustainably within that 200 kilometre radius of the mill.”

With the recent investment in a new lathe system in Hearst and the decision to re-open the veneer plant in Rutherglen, the employee-owned company is looking forward to a brighter future.

“Finally, we now have our Meinan system in the plant,” says Gilles Levesque, Columbia Forest Products’ Canadian general manager. “As a follow-up to the more than $5 million investment in innovative capital projects at the facility over the past seven years, this $15 million crowning investment provides more than 200 employees in Hearst with an integral piece of capital innovation that will enable us to compete well into the future—regardless of the exchange rate or foreign competition.”

Manufactured in Japan, the 200’ long

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Logging & Sawmilling Journal - March/April 2016

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engineeredwood

Aspen peeler logs between 8” and 36” (above) are processed at the Columbia Forest Products hardwood plywood plant in Hearst. Aspen veneer sheets are combined in thicknesses from 6 mm to 38 mm (photo below), depending on customer orders. from page 67 Meinan lathe line was assembled, tested and disassembled in Japan before being loaded into 35 containers destined for Vancouver. It was then shipped across Canada by train, unloaded in Toronto, transported to Hearst in 30 trucks, then re-assembled and put to work.

The production process starts with logs entering the plant and encountering a slasher to ensure that they are the correct length for the lathe. They are sorted for diameter, and then conveyed to conditioning ponds.

This step is necessary to warm the logs, particularly in winter. They are debarked on a Nicholson AB5 debarker and then immersed into more conditioning ponds.

From there, they are scanned by an Elight 16-point X/Y scanner to determine the best skew on the lathe to produce a peel with maximum recovery in mind. The log is first loaded onto the old, existing Coe lathe, used as a round up lathe to produce a true cylinder for peeling on the subsequent

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Meinan lathe. This step is expected to extend the life of the Meinan lathe knife.

The Meinan lathe will then peel a veneer thickness according to the requirements of production in the plant that day.

The green veneer is clipped using a Meinan automated clipper, measured for moisture and sorted into one of five bins before being dried in either a Moore or Coe dryer. After drying, the veneer is scanned using a Raute VDA system, which grades the veneer into one of eight subgrades. Depending on the sub-grade, it will travel different avenues of processing.

One route is the fully automated Raute Patchman line. Alternatively, it can be sent to one of three Raute composers or the new Meinan composer.

“All of the upgrading in this area is to maximize quality and yield of the veneer,” says Fournier.

Columbia has adopted the Lean Manufacturing system to maximize efficiency throughout its manufacturing process and to eliminate waste. This system was

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - March/April 2016

popularized by Toyota, and is now used effectively in many industries. The system at Columbia is designed so that the plywood plant is only processing a certain amount of material at one time, to minimize wait times between processes and to ensure that veneer sheets are fresh while maintaining an organized and safe work environment.

“If you keep buying tomato soup on special and you don’t rotate your stock, that first can could be pretty gritty in a year from now,” says Fournier, using the example to explain why they have adopted the Lean approach.

At this point, the plant uses a recipe system based on customer requirements to prepare the stacks of veneer on the Globe spreader. After lay-up, the stacked material encounters the pre-press and then the Burrard hot press to manufacture the panel. After the press, the panels are conveyed to the Globe trim saw, then to the putty line to repair minor defects, and then to either a Coe Tidland sizing sander or Timesaver sander. The next step is the grading station and stacking. A new dust extraction system was also installed from a closed Columbia particleboard plant as part of the recent upgrade.

Hearst-based Strategik Builders was the civil contractor on the project. The two mechanical contractors were Straight Line Plumbing and Mechanical and Rick’s Welding and Machining. The electrical contractor was B & C Automation. All were local contractors. The new line came on stream this past September and is ramping up to full production.

“This investment is very reassuring for our employees and very reassuring for the community,” says Fournier, noting the impact the plant has on the town. “We’re the largest employer in Hearst.”

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March/April 2016

The Edge Slash microsite treatments on southfacing slopes in the Rocky Mountain Foothills of Alberta evaluated

I

n the summer of 2015, FPInnovations completed a silviculture study as part of a larger project in the Rocky Mountain Foothills of Alberta. The project included concurrent FPInnovations trials that evaluated the fuel efficiency of ground-based harvesting and forestry equipment working on steep slopes.

Chinook winds in this region cause up to 30 per cent tree seedling mortality from winter desiccation on exposed south-facing slopes. Slash was returned to the cutover to provide the planted seedlings protection from exposure. The cost and effectiveness of the slash return

techniques, and the impact of slash return on site preparation treatment in terms of achieving a desired density of plantable spots, were evaluated in five different treatments. Generally, returning slash to the cutover is a cost-effective treatment, especially if it increases seedling survival and reduces future fill-planting costs.

The cost of a “hot logging” harvesting treatment that used two processors working together with one skidder was lower than a standard separate-phase harvesting treatment, as long as there were no lengthy unplanned breakdowns or delays.

Post-treatment measurements showed Logging & Sawmilling Journal - March/April 2016

that all five treatments provided at least twice the density of slash microsites required to meet minimum stand density objectives. Future research is needed to determine which slash microsites become occupied (natural or planted) and which slash microsites are effective at protecting seedlings from winter desiccation.

For more information, please contact Grant Nishio, Researcher of the Silvicultural Operations department, at grant. nishio@fpinnovations.ca.

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The Edge

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to help design and construct steep-slope resource roads

I

n coastal British Columbia, 56 per cent of harvestable timber volume is located on slopes greater than 35 per cent, and forest companies are increasingly turning to this challenging source of fibre as the more easily accessed timber near valley bottoms is exhausted. As part of its Steep Slopes Initiative, FPInnovations is looking for new approaches and technologies to improve timber harvesting safety and efficiency on steep slopes, while reducing environmental impacts.

To improve accessibility to this resource, FPInnovations’ Resource Roads group recently initiated a project aimed at developing practices for steep road design and construction. As part of this project, the group filmed several logging trucks navigating steep switchbacks and road sections from directly overhead using FPInnovations’ DJI Inspire 1 unmanned

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aerial vehicle (UAV). The footage was synchronized with cameras attached to the logging truck; the cameras looked backwards from the truck cab at the trailer, and from the rear trailer tires looking forward towards the truck cab. Documenting typical travel paths and actual off-tracking of vehicles will help designers improve geometric designs for various truck configurations and terrain conditions. True travel paths used by different drivers can be compared with design models and help improve and calibrate these predictive models, thus improving overall safety.

FPInnovations also used the UAV to survey several sections of steep road by flying it in a grid pattern at a constant elevation, and taking photos at regular intervals with the camera angled straight down. The data were then used to create a 3D point cloud similar to what could

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - March/April 2016

be obtained from LiDAR data. This form of surveying takes considerably less time than conventional surveying, and has a broad range of applications such as auditing road construction progress in real time, conducting as-built surveys, or surveying felled road right-of-ways before road construction occurs. This information can help land managers update plans or identify previously undiscovered environmental concerns.

This project showcases some of the interesting technology FPInnovations is using, and innovative applications for using UAVs in forest operations.

For more information on this project, please contact Alex Forrester, Scientist in the Resource Roads group, at alex. forrester@fpinnovations.ca.

The Edge

Demonstration buildings validate potential of multifunctional panels

C

hanges made to energy efficiency requirements in Canada and the U.S. may dramatically affect the wood panel sheathing market.

When work on multifunctional panels was initiated, APA—The Engineered Wood Association, estimated that an eventual substitution of oriented strandboard (OSB) and plywood sheathing by non-wood products could result in a 20 per cent loss of market share, or one billion square feet.

Multifunctional panels were developed in response to the increasingly strict energy efficiency standards for buildings, and to make it possible to simultaneously achieve energy efficiency and structural performance objectives. The panels consist of two thin OSB or plywood panels laminated to a rigid wood fibre or foam insulation core. Developed in collaboration with numerous partners and stakeholders, the multi-functional panels have been subjected to thorough property characterization to gain acceptance by the construction community, and ensure their long-term performance.

Two demonstration buildings have been erected, making it possible to evaluate the panels’ performance in real situations, in the humid coastal climate of Vancouver and the cold climate of Edmonton. The 7.62 m x 3.66 m demonstration buildings are sheathed with FPInnovations’ new multifunctional panels.

These buildings were constructed to demonstrate the in-service performance of the product and may be viewed by members visiting FPInnovations in Vancouver or Alberta Innovates-Technology Futures in Edmonton.

These panels promise to offer a lower-cost alternative for the construction industry. Based on cost analysis findings, multifunctional panels offer 6–7 per cent savings compared to the other solutions, to achieve the same insulation values.

Construction time would also be reduced by more than one-half day per building, while delivering performance equal or superior to traditional OSB sheathing panels.

For more information on multifunctional panels or to plan a visit to one of the demonstration buildings, please contact Bob Knudson, Research Leader, Engineered Wood Products Manufacturing and Product Development at FPInnovations, at ... bob.knudson@fpinnovations.ca.

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - March/April 2016

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The Edge

AI Bio supports commercial lignin production and downstream research

BY TONY KRYZANOWSKI

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orest company West Fraser Timber has set out to show that lignin can be economically recovered in high volumes from wood fibre and transformed into a valuable and sustainable bioproduct. The company has opened a new lignin recovery plant at its pulp mill in Hinton, Alberta. It is the first commercialscale facility of its kind in Canada.

Also seeing the potential in lignin, Alberta Innovates Bio Solutions (AI Bio) contributed $3 million to the project’s total cost of $30 million. Currently in start-up mode, West Fraser hopes to begin commercial lignin recovery by summer.

“Some of AI Bio’s roles are to help strengthen the forest sector and to accelerate growth of the Alberta bioeconomy,” says Steve Price, AI Bio’s chief executive officer. “We believe that having this innovative facility in the province, which can successfully recover lignin for commercial use, is a significant step forward.”

Lignin is one of the most abundant polymers on the planet. It gives trees their strength. One of its properties is its ability to work as an effective, benign adhesive substitute in the production of panel products such as plywood, oriented strandboard (OSB), and laminated veneer lumber (LVL), as well as a binder for wood pellets.

West Fraser says it was motivated to make the lignin recovery plant investment because it has a potential in-house use for the product, considering it operates three plywood plants and an LVL plant. The company has also been working with FPInnovations, Alberta Innovates Technology Futures (AITF), and chemical company Hexion to develop resin formulations that maximize lignin use while meeting or exceeding West Fraser’s performance standards as a panelboard adhesive. So far, they have.

“Our intent was to develop a novel bioproduct as well as add value and diversify our products from our Hinton pulp mill,” says Rod Albers, West Fraser’s Manager of Energy and Bioproduct Development. “We thought that the opportunity for lignin with our integration with plywood really posed a significant advantage to West Fraser, in terms of being able to develop a lignin-based bioproduct.”

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West Fraser’s Hinton pulp mill can now produce commercial scale volumes of lignin using LignoForce technology.

West Fraser could also see its potential in the manufacture of other bio-based products, such as packaging, carbon black, activated carbon, epoxy resins, adhesives in foundry resins, thermoplastic composites, surfactants and binders, and polypol in polyurethane foams.

“It is extremely important to have the support of AI Bio in this project,” says Albers. “We actually got very quick response from them, and it was really encouraging to feel their support behind the entire program.”

Natural Resources Canada also contributed $10 million to the project through its Investments in Forest Industry Transformation (IFIT) program. As well, Sustainable Development Technology Canada, an arm’s-length foundation created by the federal government, invested $6 million.

The Hinton plant uses a lignin recovery technology called LignoForce, developed by a consortium involving FPInnovations and B.C.-based NORAM Engineering. It is a one-of-a-kind facility capable of recovering 30 tonnes of lignin per day—a 1000-fold increase in lignin recovery compared to a pilot-scale plant in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

Lignin is recovered from the Hinton pulp mill’s black liquor byproduct stream using LignoForce’s bolt-on technology, without impacting the flow or quality of the black liquor, which is burned in a recovery boiler.

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - March/April 2016

Under the right circumstances—where a pulp mill has reached its recovery boiler capacity—removal of lignin from the black liquor stream could provide pulp mills with additional boiler capacity and allow them to increase pulp production, while also recovering a portion of the lignin for production of valuable commercial bioproducts.

As part of its agreement with AI Bio to receive financial support for the construction of the lignin recovery plant in Hinton, West Fraser agreed to contribute $1.5 million to AI Bio’s lignin research fund.

Albers says it is money well spent, as it is helping West Fraser successfully integrate lignin-based resins into its panel production, and also helping the company investigate other potential commercial and industrial uses for this raw material.

Price says the AI Bio lignin research fund will be used to spur development of new applications for lignin. Fund details have yet to be worked out.

For more information about West Fraser’s lignin recovery plant in Hinton, contact Tara Knight, West Fraser, at tara.knight@westfraser.com.

For information about AI Bio and its funding, contact Julia Necheff, Alberta Innovates Bio Solutions, at julia. necheff@albertainnovates.ca.

The Edge

Making woody biomass more cost effective as a renewable fuel source

BY TONY KRYZANOWSKI

D

iscovering ways to cost effectively package, transport, and store woody biomass has come a long way over the past five years. Today, end users can access tools and research through the Canadian Wood Fibre Centre (CWFC) to make sound business decisions and fine-tune plans on the best harvesting and transportation methods to deliver this raw material to their manufacturing plants.

Whether it is a plan to use woody biomass to produce bio-fuels or bioproducts, CWFC can help end users make informed decisions based on its discoveries related to woody biomass feedstock harvesting, pre-processing and delivery systems. Individuals or companies interested in using woody biomass as a feedstock can also access modeling tools like value simulators and economic feasibility programs tied directly to an end product to map out a feasible game plan.

Tim Keddy, CWFC Wood Fibre Development Specialist, says knowledge related to mid-supply chain management of woody

biomass has grown in “leaps and bounds”, with CWFC having conducted extensive research at various locations across Canada with industry partners, investigating different woody biomass sources, and field testing various harvesting, packaging, delivery and storage methods. As part of its cost analysis, CWFC has also considered the quality and characteristics of the raw material needed by the end user, and how that influences mid-supply costs, with the goal of providing the end user with a more refined and accurate financial breakdown of woody biomass usage.

One of the biggest challenges related to making a sound business case for greater woody biomass use has been transportation costs, because the raw material typically reaches its volume maximum before reaching its weight maximum when transported by truck. CWFC has investigated various harvesting, gathering, baling and compaction methods in the field that have resulted in the discovery of various methods to increase delivery weights and reduce transportation costs. It can now recommend packaging methods and truck

The focus at CWFC today is how to grow, harvest, package, deliver and store woody biomass as cheaply as possible.

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - March/April 2016

trailer configurations where a loaded truck is much closer to its maximum allowable loaded weight. Keddy says that CWFC has demonstrated that it can increase transported volume by 45 per cent using compacted bales versus loose chips, and continues to investigate trailer and bale configurations to reduce costs even more. What this has done is effectively pushed out the radius of how far an end user could look to source woody biomass material at an affordable cost, and also perhaps increase the number of potential sources for woody biomass.

A key objective of CWFC’s research has been to connect the most costeffective ways to harvest, package and deliver woody biomass in bulk with the value of the end product, meaning that mid-supply methods can be customized depending on how the raw material will be used and its required characteristics upon delivery.

End users are strongly encouraged to take advantage of the knowledge acquired by CWFC on the various options available to them. Keddy says they might be surprised by what they discover, and how various methods tested by CWFC can significantly lower the cost of delivering woody biomass to an end user’s doorstep.

“Today, our focus has evolved from investigating ways to grow the most woody biomass possible, to how to grow, harvest, package, deliver and store the woody biomass as cheaply as possible,” says Keddy.

For more information about CWFC’s findings and tools for evaluating cost effective harvesting and mid-supply chain management of woody biomass, contact Tim Keddy at tim.keddy@canada.ca, or CWFC Regional Coordinator and Program Manager at the Northern Forestry Centre in Edmonton, Derek Sidders, at derek.sidders@canada.ca.

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SUPPLIERNEWSLINE

By Tony Kryzanowski

Steep Slope Conference a big hit Exports of New Zealand-designed and built high-tech forest machines are set to surge ahead following the very successful Steep Slope Logging Conference held in Richmond, B.C. in March. A sell-out audience was on hand to see the new winchassist mechanized harvesting techniques at the conference, which was presented

by Logging and Sawmilling Journal.

Contractors and foresters heard how the new machines have revolutionized safety in New Zealand’s forest industry.

With this large technical conference, the paradigm-shift in harvesting technology is now better understood in B.C., Oregon, Washington and Idaho.

With hundreds of Canadian and U.S.based forest managers and contractors registered, the conference sold out in the final week. Clearly, there was a lot of interest in the range of practical experiences among the five contractors and winchassist manufacturers from New Zealand.

Seeing the equipment in action was

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Logging & Sawmilling Journal - March/April 2016

even more in demand as places on the field tour sold out weeks ahead of time.

The forest locations chosen made for excellent demonstrations of these new machines operating on Vancouver Island.

On conference day, the delegates were well-served with a range of loggers and engineers detailing their journey from concept to in-forest production with the now popular winch assist harvesters which have gained a strong reputation for both safety and production in NZ. However, many speakers explained that the benefits gained from New Zealand’s steep slope harvesters had to flow to both contractors and licensees in North America—without that, the introduction of these paradigm-shifting machines would not be happening.

Several of the speakers now have multiple winch-assist falling machines operating in a number of Pacific Northwest states, as well as the B.C. Coast and Interior.

Falcon Forestry Equipment’s Dale Ewers, whose companies include 14 logging operations spread throughout New Zealand, spoke to conference delegates about a range of innovative new logging systems that his large team of loggers and equipment designers have developed and implemented. The largest selling innovation has been the camera grapple carriage that removes the need for men to go on the slope, to hook logs. He also finished his talk with real film footage of his leading-edge research-proven carriage mounted felling head showing how easily it can fell trees.

EMS/Tractionline’s Chris Hancock detailed the exhaustive engineering approach they adopted in designing their traction-

to page 78

suppliernewsline from page 76 assist system to meet the appropriate engineering standards and relevant codes. Their equipment is already operating in Washington-based logging contractor Frank Chandler’s operations.

With the several Remote Operated Bulldozer (ROB) machines already operating in production logging operations on Vancouver Island, Iain May from Rosewarne and May explained how their remote-operated bulldozers work. They operate in tandem with slope-assisted feller bunchers and have been running in second growth settings in Island Timberlands’ private forests. The units are owned and operated by Lyle Newton’s Island Pacific Logging operations.

Professional forester Ryan Potter from Tolko Industries in B.C. spoke to the conference group about the breakthroughs made in their forest operations. He emphasized the need for team communications regarding harvest planning and layout for these new safe and productive logging systems.

In the presentation of the day, Paul Jensen from ClimbMAX equipment joined in a practical panel session detailing learnings from their long experience, having been the pioneers for winchassist logging operations in North America.

“Our acquisition of Morbark is a great fit for us, “says David Waxman, Principal of Stellex. “We believe the company is well positioned to grow in the coming years, and we are confident that the capital and resources we bring will fuel that growth.”

Lon Morey, Morbark Chief Executive Officer and son of the founder of Morbark, says that though it is always difficult to leave a family business, “we felt this was the right time with the right investor who can build on the legacy my father started and I have spent my entire life dedicated to. We are confident that the Stellex group will be able to take Morbark to the next level of excellence and growth. We are excited for the company and its employees, and the future envisioned for them.” www.morbark.com

Wolftek has new thermal monitoring system for planer mills

Wolftek has developed and successfully launched its thermal monitoring system (TMS).

Morbark acquired by Stellex Capital Management

Forestry equipment company Morbark has been purchased by an affiliate of Stellex Capital Management. The acquisition is focused on providing growth capital and resources to significantly expand the company in the future.

The Wolftek TMS uses an FLIR infrared camera to display a thermal spectrum video that operators and maintenance staff can use to optimize planer configurations and increase production. HMI alarms are easily configured to notify maintenance staff when motor bearings get too hot or when guide bar friction exceeds a temperature set point. www.wolftek.ca

Quadco/Southstar: Combining the Power of Two

Quadco Equipment and Southstar Equipment recently joined forces, and now offer a full line of forestry attachments. The companies provide innovative technology with the largest selection of felling heads and processors to choose from in the forest industry.

Under the banner of “The Power of Two”, the companies will have the same people, the same locations and feature the same high quality products and service. The combined team will continue working to improve its products to provide loggers with the best possible equipment. Pictured above are some of the employees from both Quadco and Southstar at the Oregon Logging Conference in Eugene in February. Shaking hands are Marcel Payeur of Southstar Equipment (left) and Chuck MacLennan of Quadco. www.southstarequipment.com www.quadco.com to page 80 78

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - March/April 2016

suppliernewsline from page 78

VETS Group and AirTek join forces

Celebrating 95 years in the sheet metal and HVAC industry, the VETS Group is proud to announce the recent addition of AirTek Pneumatics to their group of companies.

Together, AirTek and VETS offer expanded coverage, capacity and capability to customers in the sawmill and lumber processing industries.

From bag houses, cyclones, dust abatement and fume extraction systems to mechanical, electrical and HVAC service, these two organizations possess a wealth of knowledge and experience. Two strong brands with a combined focus on safety, NFPA compliance and renowned craftsmanship,

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the two companies say they stand ready to continue to serve the Western Canadian marketplace. www.vetsgroup.com www.airtek.ca

New Tigercat buncher designed for steep slope logging

With tight tuck boom geometry and minimal tail swing, the Tigercat powered LX830D feller buncher is a powerful, yet compact, machine well suited to selective felling and clear fell applications.

Tigercat says that the LX830D takes steep slope felling to the next level with a number of improvements aimed at service access, ergonomics and hydraulic efficiency.

The 330 hp Tigercat FPT C87 Tier 4f engine is housed in a completely redesigned upper enclosure with significantly improved right hand side visibility. At the push of a button, the clamshell style enclosure fully opens with swing-out side doors for easy access to critical components, daily maintenance points and both sides of the engine. A larger fuel tank increases capacity to 585 L and includes ground level fueling.

Logging & Sawmilling Journal - March/April 2016

The new cab structure with narrower front posts and larger side windows enhances visibility. The skylight has been replaced by a camera system providing the operator with a much wider field of view. The LX830D is now standard equipped with LED lighting, for improved productivity in nightshift operations.

Tigercat’s patented leveling system provides exceptional stability in steep slope applications. With massive cylinders, thick steel and tapered roller bearings, the leveling system provides reliability and long life. www.tigercat.com to page 82

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Gilbert introduces new S-series planer

Gilbert’s new S-series planer is said to be ideal for small to mid-sized lumber operations. It is designed to run at feed speeds from 100 to 1200 FPM and is the ultimate machine to produce value-added products, says the company.

The S-Series is the latest addition to Gilbert’s high-performing line of planers.

“This new model offers the same renowned Gilbert technology in a smaller machine,” says Heidi Danbrook, Sales Manager, Planer Division. “Many customers have said that they do not require a high speed planer line, but they would like the higher quality finish, increased accuracy and decreased set-up times that newer model planers can offer.’’

With the S-series planer, Gilbert reaches out to many different types of clientele specializing in value-added manufactured wood products like moulding and millwork, remanufacturing, finger jointing, cedar and small to mid-sized lumber operations.

The S-series uses the unique-to-Gilbert “pull-through” technology for high running uptime and productivity. The same Automatic Cutterhead Positioning System is installed to control all cutterheads and axes for efficient changeovers and higher grade finished lumber. Its compact design can fit very well into existing layouts. www.gilbert-tech.com

Power comes from the combined energy of the truck starting batteries paired with four AGM deep cycle batteries located in the in-frame battery box. The Volvo parking cooler is rated to keep the sleeper comfortable at 22 degrees Celsius for up to 10 hours, even during the heat of the day. The system is ideal for long haul drivers who run their trucks at least six hours, then park for their required break. Smart energy management software is also included, protecting the engine’s starting batteries from being run down.

The Volvo parking cooler is operated by an automatic thermostat that controls both the air conditioning and heat if the truck is equipped with the optional cab parking heater. www.volvotrucks.us.com

John Deere introduces new E-series knuckleboom loader

John Deere has upgraded its Final Tier 4 437E knuckleboom loader.

The E-Series knuckleboom loaders feature several productivity-enhancing improvements. Most noteworthy, the 437E delivers a five per cent increase in both

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swing torque and boom lift over previous models for more productive delimbing and truck loading times.

John Deere made several updates to the E-Series with uptime in mind. The 437E boasts a 173 horsepower Final Tier 4 engine that uses the same FT4 aftertreatment perfected in the 700K forestry crawler dozers. The 437E also uses the same hydraulic system that has proven reliable on previous models.

The 437E also boasts improved serviceability. A ground-level oil drain and filter change make hydraulic oil and filter maintenance much faster and safer, allowing operators to spend less time on service and more time being productive. Additionally, an optional electric refill pump simplifies service even further. The hydraulic oil reservoir capacity has been reduced from 80 to 35 gallons, reducing the cost of changing hydraulic oil by 44 per cent. www.johndeere.com

MARCH/APRIL 2016

NAME:________________________________ TITLE/POSITION:__________________ COMPANY NAME:_______________________________________________________ ADDRESS:____________________________________________________________ PHONE: ______________________________

FAX:___________________________

EMAIL:______________________________________________________________ WEBSITE:____________________________________________________________

Volvo Trucks now have battery-powered parking cooler option

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Logging & Sawmilling Journal - March/April 2016

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Volvo Trucks North America has introduced a battery-powered parking cooler as a factory-installed option for its VNM 630, VNL 630, VNL 670, VNL 730 and VNL 780 sleeper models.

The battery-powered parking cooler allows drivers to keep the cab and sleeper comfortable without idling the engine, providing the most environmentally friendly and efficient solution for maintaining comfort while parked.

The crowds were good, with lots of buyers and interest. It far exceeded my expectations. I was completely satisfied.

Derek Stamer

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INDEX ADVERTISER PAGE Allied Blower......................................... 34 Allied Systems........................................ 43 Andritz Iggesund Tools.............................. 5 Brandt Tractor........................................ 81 Brewco.................................................. 66 Canadian Western Bank......................... 66 Caterpillar.............................................. 27 Connexus Industries............................... 45 ContiTech.............................................. 40 Corbilt Group of Companies................... 31 Diacon Technologies........................ 39, 41 DK Spec................................................. 59 Dodge Ram............................................ 11 Elkay Equipment..................................... 12 Equip YGE.............................................. 45 Gear Centre........................................... 50 GeoPro.................................................. 76 Gilbert Products..................................... 65 Global Log & Lumber Conference........... 80 Globalstar................................................ 2 Hercules Tires.......................................... 7 Hodgson Saw......................................... 46 Inland / Link-Belt.................................... 53 Inland / Tigercat..................................... 88 Interior Logging Association.................... 80 Jet Label................................................. 13 John Deere............................................ 21 Kennametal............................................ 44 LINCK.................................................... 15 Log Max................................................. 29 Morbark................................................. 55 NTN Bearing.......................................... 77 Olofsfors / Iggesund................................ 52 Peerless.................................................... 6 Peterson................................................. 79 Pierce Pacific Mfg................................... 20 Rexnord/Motion Industries...................... 47 Robwel Construction................................ 9 Rotochopper Inc.................................... 70 Sennebogen........................................... 19 Shiloh Enterprises................................... 78 SonicAire by IES..................................... 35 Southstar Equipment / Quadco.......... 22-23 Streifel Industries.................................... 44 Summit Electric...................................... 12 Terex Fuchs............................................ 56 USNR..................................................... 69 Valon Kone............................................ 57 Valutec Wood Dryers.............................. 67 Van-Ed Equipment.................................. 33 Vets Group............................................. 32 Wajax Equipment................................... 51 Waratah................................................. 87 Wellons Canada..................................... 10 Wood-Mizer........................................... 13 Woodland Equipment............................. 63 Woodland Supplies................................ 28 WorkSafeBC........................................... 28

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Logging & Sawmilling Journal - March/April 2016

85

thelastword

Canada's veterans could fill many forestry jobs

By Tony Kryzanowski

W

e’ve all heard the complaints— we can’t attract skilled tradespeople to work in our mill, we can’t attract people to work in our remote community, we can’t find a good cook for our camp, kids coming out of school these days don’t have the skills or a good work ethic for what we need, I can’t afford to train a greenhorn to run a $300,000 piece of equipment… and on it goes.

Couple that with the prediction by some analysts that the ratio of workers to retirees will drop from 8 to 1 today to 2 to 1 by 2030, and it seems quite clear that the Canadian forest industry is not only going to have a hard time finding skilled workers, but will find itself in a major dogfight just to attract workers, period, as the current workforce enters retirement age.

However, there is one employee resource that the industry has not fully considered, and those are personnel leaving the armed forces.

According to a federal government study conducted by the Department of Veterans Affairs, about 5,000 people leave the armed forces every year. The question for many human resources people in the forest industry might be, why aren’t more of them applying for jobs that we have available?

The answer is quite simple, once you think about it. Military personnel, while often highly skilled in trades that would make them a perfect fit for the forest industry, sometimes have difficulty understanding how to apply for a civilian job. Many sign up for the military at a young age and while in the military, their advancement or placement was handled by the military. We are all familiar with how military personnel are transferred from one base to another, often on short notice.

So, it would definitely be worthwhile for HR departments in forestry production facilities or in logging operations to take the initiative and reach out to these vets.

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The Veterans Affairs study notes no less than eight programs it offers to help industry find qualified exiting military personnel, and to help military personnel land good paying jobs that fit their skillsets.

One excellent resource for helping connect retiring vets with the forest industry is a website called www. vetyournexthire.com, operating under

There are a percentage of vets who have sustained injuries in combat. Perhaps companies should consider giving something back to them, like a steady job. a program called BaseToBusiness. It is a non-profit, workforce attraction and retention partnership led by an organization called Prospect Human Resources, and is funded by Alberta’s Ministry of Jobs, Skills, Training, and Labour.

One issue that forest companies may have is whether a vet has the training certification and equivalencies to step into a skilled forestry job. That is one area where the BaseToBusiness program can help, addressing such points as skills equivalencies, interprovincial certification requirements, and mentorship programs. According to Prospect, there are more than 100 trades and professions in the Canadian Armed Forces. Many vets hold a military trade qualification issued by the Department of National Defense and many apprenticeship and industry training boards recognize a number of military trade qualifications as equivalent to provincial trade Logging & Sawmilling Journal - March/April 2016

certificates. It may be different from one province to another, so it is worthwhile checking local equivalencies.

Looking specifically at the immediate challenges being faced by the forest industry, it just makes sense for companies and contractors to take a closer look at hiring a vet. First, many retiring military personnel have both technical skills and experience. So a vet could be just the right person for a hard-to-fill millwright, electrician, welding, equipment operator, log truck driver or lead hand job.

Second, vets are used to moving from one base to another and also training in remote locations. Many signed up for the active outdoor lifestyle. So it seems likely that they would be willing to move and work in a more remote community if it means they can continue to enjoy some of the lifestyle benefits offered by military maneuvers. That includes cooking in a remote camp.

Third, military personnel are also used to respecting the chain of command, so it is highly unlikely that hiring a vet will require an attitude adjustment. Prospect says in its material that it is unlikely that company supervisors will hear the excuse, “sorry I was late because I was getting a latte”, from a vet.

Fourth, what some vets really bring to logging contractors is experience operating heavy equipment. While they may need training on specialized equipment like feller bunchers, many have experience operating construction equipment, given the needs of the military in how they deploy and manage units in the field.

Military training includes a strong focus on preventative maintenance.

And finally, there are a percentage of vets who have sustained injuries in combat. Perhaps companies should consider giving something back to them, like a steady job, for what they have sacrificed for us. Let’s make a bigger effort.

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